Asexuals increasingly part of pride month

June marks LGBT pride month, a time when events around the country raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights.

Asexual groups and individuals are increasingly a part of those pride events (and the initial A is often added to the LGBT initialism to represent the group.) Asexuals or "aces" are people who usually do not feel sexually attracted to anyone.

The relationship between the LGBT community and the asexual community has not always been a smooth one, but in recent years has grown stronger.

"We've been getting more and more accepted around the world," David Jay, an asexual advocate told USA TODAY Network. In the last few years, groups have marched in pride parades in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, he said.

"People are confused early on because they see pride as a celebration of sexuality and they're wondering what an asexual community is doing showing up," Jay said. But in recent years, an understanding has grown that the LGBT community and the asexual community have shared experiences, he said.

"By in large, people in the LGBT community know what it's like to struggle with a sense of personal identity and they know what it's like to be able to come out and celebrate," Jay said.

The New England Asexuals marched for the first time officially in the Boston Pride Parade last spring, Jess Ahearn, one of the group's organizers told USA TODAY Network.

"We have seen increasing support and inclusion recently in queer conferences and queer activism," according to Ahearn.

The value of participating in pride activities is that it helps to raise awareness about asexuality and clear up misunderstandings, Ahearn said.

For example, some people who identify as asexual may still have sex, Ahearn said. "Every sexual orientation is on a spectrum, so some people on the asexual spectrum may experience sexual attraction, maybe rarely, maybe occasionally and maybe only under specific circumstances," she said.

Aces may also seek relationships and emotional connections, according to Jay, who partners with the a national gay rights group GLAAD to speak on behalf of asexual issues.

"The biggest misunderstanding is this idea that asexual people are not interested or are not capable of emotional connection or emotional intimacy," Jay said. "There's a huge number of ways that we can form very deep, very loving relationships."

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