Direct Answer
How did asexual and Two-Spirit visibility grow?
Direct answer
It grew through community language, Indigenous gatherings, online networks, research and public campaigns.
- Status
- reviewed
- Reviewed
- 4 June 2026
- Sources
- 8
- High trust
- 1
Curated Routes
Appears in these journeys
Use a journey when this direct answer needs wider historical context.
Explanation
Gay American Indians and Two-Spirit gatherings created Indigenous-led spaces for identity and cultural continuity. AVEN, Bogaert’s research, Ace Week and Yasmin Benoit’s activism helped asexuality move from online community into public, research and rights conversations.
Timeline Evidence
Gay American Indians Founded in San Francisco
Randy Burns (Northern Paiute) and Barbara Cameron (Hunkpapa Lakota) co-founded Gay American Indians in San Francisco — the first organisation for gay Native Americans in the United States. Created to address double discrimination from racism in LGBTQ+ spaces and homophobia in colonised Indigenous communities, GAI later co-produced Living the Spirit (1988), the first anthology of writing by Native American gays and lesbians.
First International Two-Spirit Gathering Held in Minneapolis
The inaugural International Two-Spirit Gathering took place in Minneapolis, bringing together queer Indigenous activists from across North America. The gathering became an annual four-day event alternating between Canada and the United States, and remains one of the longest continuously running queer Indigenous liberation and decolonising events in North American history.
'Two-Spirit' Term Adopted at Inter-tribal Conference in Winnipeg
At the Third Annual Inter-tribal Native American/First Nations Gay and Lesbian Conference near Winnipeg, Manitoba, approximately 100 Indigenous queer delegates adopted the term 'Two-Spirit'. Proposed by Albert McLeod (Nisichawayasihk Cree) and originating from Myra Laramee (Fisher River Cree), the Ojibwe translation 'niizh manidoowag' was chosen. The term replaced the colonial and pejorative term 'berdache'.
Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) Founded
David Jay launched the Asexual Visibility and Education Network from his Wesleyan University student account, with two objectives: to get asexuality recognised as a legitimate sexual orientation, and to build a supportive community. AVEN grew to become the world's largest online asexual community, with over 135,000 members by 2021, and played a pivotal role in asexual visibility and inclusion in the broader LGBTQ+ movement.
First Major Academic Study on Asexuality Published
Anthony Bogaert of Brock University published 'Asexuality: Prevalence and Associated Factors in a National Probability Sample' in the Journal of Sex Research, analysing data from over 18,000 British residents. The study found approximately 1% of the population reported never experiencing sexual attraction. Widely regarded as the foundational academic study on human asexuality, it sparked further scholarly research and significant public interest.
First Asexual Awareness Week Held
Sara Beth Brooks, with help from AVEN founder David Jay, organised the first Asexual Awareness Week. The event was primarily conducted online through blogging and social media, targeting LGBTQ+ communities. From 2011 onward, the event moved to the last full week of October and was later renamed 'Ace Week' to reflect broader goals beyond awareness.
Yasmin Benoit Launches #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike
British model and activist Yasmin Benoit created the #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike movement, inviting asexual people to make themselves visible and challenge stereotypes. She collaborated with AVEN and Budweiser to host the first asexual-themed bar at Pride in London, and became the first openly asexual woman on a UK magazine cover (Attitude, December 2019).
Blake Desjarlais Becomes Canada's First Two-Spirit MP
Blake Desjarlais (Cree/Métis), running for the New Democratic Party, won the Edmonton Griesbach riding in the 2021 Canadian federal election. At age 27, Desjarlais became the first openly Two-Spirit person elected to Canada's Parliament and Alberta's only Indigenous MP, bringing Two-Spirit identity into the highest levels of democratic representation.
UK's First Asexual Rights Initiative Launched with Stonewall
Yasmin Benoit partnered with Stonewall to launch the Stonewall x Yasmin Benoit Ace Project — the UK's first-ever asexual rights initiative. The project focuses on researching discrimination faced by asexual people across employment, healthcare, and education. Benoit went on to become the first asexual grand marshal at NYC Pride in 2023 and the first asexual person to lead Pride in London in 2024.
