This blog post was originally created in 2025 and has been updated to reflect current information.
What is Today?
April 6th, 2026 is International Asexuality Day (IAD), part of an international campaign to bring awareness to asexual identities. There are four themes for IAD:
- Advocacy
- Celebration
- Education
- Solidarity
What is Asexuality?
Asexuality is a sexual orientation where a person experiences little to no sexual attraction to another person. This is different from celibacy, where a person feels attraction but makes the conscious choice not to express it.
There are many identies that fall under the asexual umbrella. Some people might only experience sexual attraction in very limited circumstances. Everyone has a different experience with their asexuality and there's no single correct way to be asexual.
Aside from sexual attraction, people can also experience:
- Romantic attraction: desiring a romantic relationship with someone
- Aesthetic attraction: being attracted to someone based on how they look
- Sensual or physical attraction: wanting to touch, hold, or cuddle someone
- Platonic attraction: wanting to be friends with someone
- Emotional attraction: wanting an emotional connection with someone
It’s possible for asexual people to experience all these forms of attraction, plus plenty of others.
Titles Featuring Asexual Characters
At San Jose Public Library, we provide affirming and safe spaces for all. Our catalog includes books and other materials that either include asexual identifying characters or are written or created by those who identify as asexual.
Recommendations for Tweens
Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away
Seen only by her new librarian and a friendly kid named Jules, Olivia flickers in and out of sight whenever the topic of romance comes up. As she begins to realize she might be asexual, Olivia struggles to actually use the label because of the negative perception behind it. All she wants is to be normal, but can she really fit in without disappearing completely?
Eighth grader Lizzie's study of asexuality in science class leads her to understand her own asexual identity as she embarks on a journey toward self-discovery and self-advocacy.
Recommendations for Teens and Young Adults
Georgia has parents who are still in love, two sets of grandparents that are still together, and a brother who married his girlfriend, but at eighteen she has never even kissed someone (not even her lesbian best friend, Felipa) or particularly even wanted to; at the prom afterparty she is surrounded by couples making out, and she really does not know what is wrong-- but in college she comes to understand herself as asexual/aromantic, and to capture the part of her identity that has always eluded her.
Aromantic and asexual students Sophie and Jo, engaged in an online feud as the creators of popular relationship advice accounts "Dear Wendy" and "Sincerely Wanda," unwittingly become real-life friends and navigate their shared aroace identities as they face the challenges of college life.
Wren Martin, the asexual student council president, plans to eliminate the school's annual Valentine's Day Dance, until his rival Leo sabotages Wren's plan by securing a sponsorship from a dating app, which leads to unexpected feelings and realizations about Leo's seemingly perfect life.
Although romance will never be in the cards for newlyweds Yuriko and Gakurouta, the bond blossoming between them promises to be a wonderful relationship--the likes of which neither has ever experienced before.
Whether in psychiatric hospitals, space ships, haunted cemeteries, or under the sea, no two aces are the same in 15 unique works that highlight asexual romance, aromantic love, and the many other sub-identities of the asexual spectrum umbrella.
Recommendations for Adults
How do we experience attraction? What does love mean to us? When did you realize you were ace? This is the ace community in their own words. Drawing upon interviews with a wide range of people across the asexual spectrum, Eris Young is here to take you on an empowering, enriching journey through the rich multitudes of asexual life.
A Quick & Easy Guide to Asexuality
This book is for anyone who wants to learn about asexuality, and for Ace people themselves, to validate their experiences. Asexuality is a real identity and it's time the world recognizes it.
Brave, witty and empowering, this graphic memoir follows Rebecca as she navigates her asexual identity and mental health in a world obsessed with sex. From school to work to relationships, this book offers an unparalleled insight into asexuality.
In 'The invisible orientation, ' Julie Sondra Decker outlines what asexuality is, counters misconceptions, provides resources, and puts asexual people's experiences in context as they move through a very sexualized world. It includes information for asexual people to help understand their orientation and what it means for their relationships, as well as tips and facts for those who want to understand their asexual friends and loved ones.
More recommendations are just a click away!
Our Staff Picks are sure to have something for everyone's taste under the umbrella and across the spectrum. Here are some more recommended titles featuring LGBTQ+ voices, stories, and perspectives:
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