Ace

Ace is a widely used shorthand for asexual, a sexual orientation defined by experiencing little or no sexual attraction to other people. Asexuality is a spectrum and an umbrella that includes identities like gray-asexual and demisexual. Being ace is not the same as celibacy or abstinence, which are choices about behavior, and it is not a disorder, a phase, or the result of trauma. Many ace people still want and build emotionally close relationships, and they may experience romantic attraction separately from sexual attraction. That is why aces often name a romantic orientation too, such as biromantic or aromantic. The community has embraced "ace" as a warm, self-affirming label, symbolized by the black, gray, white, and purple asexual flag adopted in 2010.