5 stars you might not realise are proudly aromantic or asexual
Asexual celebrity Janeane Garofalo (middle), with Lisa Kudrow (left) and Mira Sorvino (right) in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (Getty)
Asexual Awareness Week runs from 22 to 28 October this year, celebrating and educating on all aspects of what it means to be asexual or ace.
The week is aimed at supporting people who fall under the ‘asexual umbrella’, a group that is often marginalised or erased when talking about sexuality and LGBTQ+ experiences.
While there is a long way to go when it comes to ace representation, there are many celebs who have proudly come out as asexual and who are helping shine a light on the community.
Here are five proudly asexual and aromantic celebs:
I May Destroy You star Michaela Coel
Known for creating Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You, writer, director and actor Michaela Coel has previously said that she identifies with the label aromantic.
While she is typically quiet when it comes to details about her private life, she spoke about identifying as aromantic in a 2018 interview with The Culture Trip.
She explained, “I Googled aromanticism and I very much felt like, ‘Oh, that’s me.’” She continued, “I am OK being by myself. I like having intimate relationships but I don’t want to change people or want to be changed by anyone.”
Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman
Author of the best-selling Heartstopper graphic novels, Alice Oseman is happily open about their life as an asexual and aromantic individual. They have previously spoken about discovering their asexuality and aromanticism while online at university.
Alice has also talked about how they often get asked “deep” questions about their sexuality.
“Interviewers come to me with a preconceived notion of what my identity is, and assumptions about how an ace person experiences the world. No one is asking deep questions. It’s a complicated thing to understand about yourself. People are asking the wrong questions.”
Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion star Janeane Garofalo
Comedian Janeane Garofalo has previously described herself as a member of the asexual celebs pantheon in her stand-up shows. She has described herself as having “a genuine lack of interest” rather than a fear of intimacy.
Garofalo also said in an interview that people often mistake her for being gay, which she doesn’t mind: “It makes me far more interesting than an asexual atheist.” Actually, we think that’s a lot more interesting!
Activist David Jay
David Jay is an activist who has been a trailblazer in the asexual community for many years. The 41-year-old is the founder of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), one of the the most widely-visited and well-known online asexual communities.
He’s part of a three-parent family – he lives with a married couple in California, Avary Kent and Zeke Hausfather and is a father to their biological daughter, Octavia, or Tavi.
Project Runway‘s Tim Gunn
TV personality and author Tim Gunn wrote about identifying as asexual in his 2011 book, Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making It Work.
He said: “I knew what I wasn’t: I wasn’t interested in boys, and I really wasn’t interested in girls. For many years, I described myself as asexual, and I still think that’s closest to the truth.”
We’re very impressed by all of these asexual celebs: visibility is so important, and they are all proudly living their truth. Happy Asexual Awareness Week, everyone.
