DEAR ABBY: I'm an asexual woman in my 20s, and I feel misunderstood. When I "come out" to people, they usually make a rude or vulgar comment. "Asexual" is the accepted term for people who are sex-repulsed or who don't experience sexual attraction. I fit both of those definitions.
People want to know what's wrong with me: Is it a hormonal imbalance? Was I molested? Am I secretly gay? One man even suggested that sleeping with him would "fix me"! If it comes up around family, they always suggest that someone will come around and change my mind.
Abby, is 25 years old too young to know for sure that I don't want to have sex? How can I respond to these rude comments? -- ACE IN SOUTH CAROLINA
DEAR ACE: Twenty-five is definitely old enough to know for sure whether you have a sex drive -- or not. Because you are open about your lack of interest in sex, you should not become defensive if someone asks an ignorant question about it.
If the person asks if it's a hormonal imbalance, the result of having been molested or if you are gay, all you have to say is, "Nope, nope and nope!" As to the man who confused his member with a magic wand, "No, thanks!" would have been a polite response to an obviously deluded individual.