Educational Media Reviews Online

In a world where sexuality is exposed in many formats across many mediums, (A) Sexual introduces the viewer to the concept of “no sexual attraction at all.” Imagine for a moment, meeting someone whose physical attraction to another person is nil but more importantly witnessing that person being comfortable with it. That was how I felt when I saw this film; the viewer is first introduced to a group of people attempting to define ‘asexual’ from the biological definition most of us were taught in high school, to the ridiculous. The viewer is introduced to David Jay, one of several people who consider themselves asexual. This film looks not only at the people themselves but how society views them. Where does ‘asexuality’ fit in the realm of sexual orientation is one of several questions raised.

David Jay and the many other people we are introduced to appear to be normal individuals except for their lack of sexual attraction/orientation—that is, not being attracted to either male or female partners. Studies indicated in the film by professional psychologists indicate that at least 1% of the American population is asexual by this definition. This may not seem like a lot of people, but it is now being explored further by social scientists across several fields of study. Discussions and a continuing dialogue on this topic require a certain amount of knowledge regarding asexuality and the ability to listen to the opposing viewpoint regardless of any difference of opinion. Most of the talk show celebrities did not illustrate what I considered enough information and research to better inform their audience in order to have a viable discussion on this topic. There are some scenes that are disturbing so if this film is being shown to younger high school students, I would advise previewing it before showing it to a class on the aforementioned level. For the most part, this is an extremely engaging film rife with discussion on the topics of relationships, asexuality, sexuality, LGBT, celibacy, monogamy, domestic partnerships, marriage, soloists (those who enjoy living alone) and love.