Hi! I'm not terribly informed about asexuality, however I've always wondered about this. I know that you folks don't experience sexual attraction, but do they still experience arousal? What is even the proper definition of asexuality? I know this is kind of a weird topic, so thanks to anyone who responds!
Technically, yes. Asexual means not attracted to men or women. However, masturbation simply feels good and is a bodily function. Some people never fantasize when they masturbate at all. A good analogy is pretending your back is really itchy. Who do you want to scratch it? If you are heterosexual, you'd only want the opposite sex to do so. A homosexual would only want the same sex to scratch them. A bisexual/pansexual would be cool with either scratching them. And an asexual wants nobody to scratch them. But they can still enjoy doing it as a bodily function.
Oh the beloved question... Don't feel bad. Asexual people get asked this ALL THE TIME. Now the answer of course depends on the person since not all forms of asexuality are the same. Asexuality, as Fallingdown7 aptly pointed out, is the lack of sexual attraction to other people. While the attraction is absent, all the "machinery" still works and therefore an ace person could experience arousal. This website, AVEN, is extremely informative in explaining asexuality. A few types of asexuality I'll quickly address: gray ace is where someone is partially asexual, and can still be turned on by some people. They just generally don't care about sex or want it but it's not impossible should the right person come along. (typical) ace is where someone is never turned on by anyone and has no desire whatsoever for sex with another human being. However, they may still feel an "itch" so to speak and need to relieve that through... self stimulating... Though this greatly depends on the person's own sexual need, or libido. Some asexuals may have an extremely low or absent libido and thus - in addition to never wanting to have sex with another person - will also never need to masturbate. And they're totally find and content with that. Though if they have a higher libido then that may still need to be dealt with solo as opposed to with a partner. sex-repulsed ace is significantly rarer and means that the person not only doesn't care about sex and doesn't want it, but is repulsed/disgusted by it. Please understand that this DOES NOT MEAN they were somehow psychologically traumatized which caused this. It's just how they naturally are. If someone is sex-repulsed there is a chance they may also be disgusted by masturbating, even if they themselves do it on occasion to relieve a biological impulse. So yeah... Not only is there a spectrum of sexuality but there is also a spectrum of asexuality. Personally, I fully identify as asexual at this current time. Though considering my situation, and the fact that I'm trans and suffer from body issues - I have left room for the possibility that I may in the future have an increase in attraction though without regard to gender... Thus the ace/pansexual notation on my descriptor. If you have any specific questions for me, I'd be happy to answer them. You can write on my wall if you like. Hope this helped. -Rhys-
The answer for each person who identifies on the ace spectrum will be somewhat different, and by no means am I an expert when it comes to talking about asexual topics, but I think that many asexual people do masturbate, as masturbation is a natural body function that is meant to feel good, regardless of your sexual attractions or lack thereof. Asexual people can also still feel arousal, as arousal is also a normal function in the human body.
