David Jay (born April 24, 1982) is an American asexual

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

. Jay is the founder and

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of the

Asexual Visibility and Education Network Asexuality is the lack of sexual attraction to others, or low or absent interest in or Sexual desire, desire for Human sexual activity, sexual activity. It may be considered a sexual orientation or the lack thereof. It may also be categoriz ...

(AVEN), the most prolific and well-known of the various asexual communities established since the advent of the

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and social media.

Activism

Frustrated with the lack of resources available regarding asexuality, Jay launched AVEN's website in 2001. Since then, he has taken a leading role in the asexuality movement, appearing on multiple television shows, and being featured heavily in Arts Engine's 2011 documentary ''(A)sexual''. AVEN, which

Salon.com ''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/ liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...

referred to as the "unofficial online headquarters" of the asexuality movement, is widely recognised as the largest online asexual community. Its two main goals are to create public acceptance and discussion about asexuality and to facilitate the growth of a large online asexual community. As of June 17, 2013, AVEN has nearly 70,000 registered members. In New York City, working both with the Department of Education and private organizations, he has been providing training on Ace (asexual) inclusion to health educators.

Personal life

Jay is from

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, and he graduated from

Crossroads College Preparatory School Crossroads College Preparatory School is a college preparatory school in St. Louis, Missouri founded by St. Louis native Arthur Lieber in 1974. It is located near Forest Park on the western edge of St. Louis. There is a MetroLink mass transit ...

in 2000. At the age of 15, Jay began considering himself asexual, and he

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

as asexual while a student at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

References

External links

AVENguy
– David Jay's online profile
Love from the Asexual Underground
- David Jay's blog and podcast about asexuality
AVEN
– Asexual Visibility and Education Network.
Interview with Jay
* 1982 births Activists from Missouri American founders Asexual men Crossroads College Preparatory School alumni Living people People from St. Louis Wesleyan University alumni American LGBT rights activists {{US-activist-stub