Love is something a lot of people are very sensitive about. Many people don’t like to accept the way others love. There are many types of love- some aren’t very well-known, some aren’t accepted as an actual form of love. Some believe there are only two types of sexualities: heterosexual and homosexual. But how can you categorize the way you love someone in only two different ways? It’s practically impossible in my eyes.

Let's, for example, talk about the way I love. Asexuality. I have told many of my friends this. Some of them accept it, others don’t. Some even brush it off like I never said anything. I get a few questions and accusations from a lot them. Here are a couple of questions that I get a lot and my answers to them.

“Asexual? Only plants are asexual. Does that mean you're a plant?” Okay, people mostly joke with the last part but again this statement is wrong. Being asexual means that you are not interested in having any sexual relations with your loved one. You can still have a boyfriend or a girlfriend despite being asexual.

“That means you can't have a boyfriend, right?” No, that absolutely does not mean I can't have a boyfriend. There is another term for that. Aromantic. Aromantic means that you are not interested in having a loved one at all. That also doesn't mean you can't love someone platonically. You're still a person. You still have feelings. You still have friends and family that you love.

I have been told that asexuality isn't possible. It’s not real. No one can be asexual. I’ve heard the same statement said about other sexualities included. People have even disliked me for being asexual. Now, I can't tell people what they can and can't believe. But I can tell them what I believe. I believe that you can live the way you feel you want to love. If you like girls, that's great! If you like boy's, that's great too! You can even like both. It doesn't matter your gender or your loved one's gender. Love is a feeling that shouldn't matter to anyone else but you. If others tell you that you can't live that way or the way you live isn't real, then you don't need them. They’re not worth your time. It's not their place to tell you how you can and can't love.
Telling others that I am asexual can be just as difficult as it would be to tell someone that I am homosexual, bisexual, or even pansexual. This goes back to people not accepting it as an actual sexuality. You don’t really know how they’ll react so you just push it off until later before you tell them. When that time comes, you’ll push it off again and the cycle with repeat over and over. It could be that way with anyone. You can never be sure how the other will react and it can be pretty nerve wracking.

Another statement that I have heard is “oh you just haven’t found ‘the one’ yet.” Now, this has never directly been said to me but I have heard it been said to others multiple times. Not only is this insensitive to others, but i also seems like you are pushing away someone else’s feelings like it’s not real. Like “it’s just a phase.” I have heard this so many times- not only for the way someone is describing the way they love, but also for things someone is passionate about doing. People don’t think about how this makes others feel. It makes them feel like their feelings aren’t real. Like it doesn’t count. The same goes for when people say asexuality (or anything really) isn’t real. It’s not right to make others feel like what they believe is invalid. Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t meant that others can’t believe in it. People have a right to what they believe and how they choose to love.

In conclusion, you shouldn’t discriminate others just because of the way they feel they love. It’s not right. This is a problem that has been around for many years. It’ll probably still be a problem in years to come. I believe that there are many different types of love. And I fit into one of those many types. Asexual. That’s what I am and what I will continue to believe in no matter what others tell me.