David Jay
{{short description|American asexual activist (born 1982)}}
{{other people}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Dave Jay
| image = Davidjayasexuals.jpg
| caption = Jay in 2006
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1982|04|24}}
| birth_place =
| alma_mater = Wesleyan University
| occupation = Asexual activist
}}
David Jay (born April 24, 1982) is an American asexual activist. Jay is the founder and webmaster of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), the most prolific and well-known of the various asexual communities established since the advent of the World Wide Web and social media.{{cite book|editor=Marshall Cavendish|title=Sex and Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aVDZchwkIMEC&pg=PA82|accessdate=27 July 2013|volume=2|year=2010|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-7906-2|pages=82–83|contribution=Asexuality}}
Activism
Frustrated with the lack of resources available regarding asexuality, Jay launched AVEN's website in 2001.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/26/among-the-asexuals|title=Among the asexuals|author= Rosie Swash|work=The Guardian|date= 26 February 2012|accessdate=2012-02-27}} Since then, he has taken a leading role in the asexuality movement, appearing on multiple television shows, and being featured heavily in Arts Engine's 2011 documentary (A)sexual.
AVEN, which Salon.com referred to as the "unofficial online headquarters" of the asexuality movement,{{cite web| url=http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2005/05/26/asexual/print.html| title=Asexual and Proud!| author=Lynn Harris| date=May 26, 2005| work=Salon.com| accessdate=2009-03-04| archive-date=2009-05-14| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514070745/http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2005/05/26/asexual/print.html| url-status=dead}} is widely recognised as the largest online asexual community.{{cite web| url=http://xpress.sfsu.edu/archives/magazine/007109.html| title=Just Don't Do It| author=Asiana Ponciano| date=October 9, 2006| publisher=Xpress Magazine| accessdate=2009-03-04| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718152636/http://xpress.sfsu.edu/archives/magazine/007109.html| archivedate=July 18, 2011}} Its two main goals are to create public acceptance and discussion about asexuality and to facilitate the growth of a large online asexual community.{{cite web|url=http://www.asexuality.org/home/about.html|title=About AVEN|accessdate=2009-03-04|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323102601/http://www.asexuality.org/home/about.html|archivedate=2009-03-23}}{{better citation needed|date=September 2023}} As of June 17, 2013, AVEN has nearly 70,000 registered members.{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/17/what-is-asexuality_n_3360424.html?1371476978|title=What Is Asexuality? A Community's Coming Of Age|author=Dominique Mosbergen|publisher=Huffington Post|date=June 17, 2013|accessdate=June 20, 2013}}
In New York City, working both with the Department of Education and private organizations, he has been providing training on Ace (asexual) inclusion to health educators.[http://www.playboy.com/articles/david-jay-asexy What Does It Mean to Be “Asexy”?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421000544/http://www.playboy.com/articles/david-jay-asexy |date=2017-04-21 }} Interview by Debra W. Soh for Playboy, March 29, 2017.
Personal life
Jay is from St. Louis, Missouri, and he graduated from Crossroads College Preparatory School in 2000.{{cite web|url=http://crossroadscollegeprep.org/graduate-david-jay-to-speak-at-crossroads/|title=Graduate David Jay to Speak at Crossroads|date=April 8, 2015|publisher=Crossroads College Preparatory School|accessdate=2016-05-31}} At the age of 15, Jay began considering himself asexual, and he came out as asexual while a student at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/nightlife/sex/columns/mating/11243/| title=Shifting to Neutral: No interest in sex is nothing to get worked up about| author=Amy Sohn| date=February 28, 2005| publisher=New York| accessdate=2016-05-31}}
Jay is part of a nonromantic, three-parent family, which he views as influenced by his asexual identity.{{cite web |last1=Chen |first1=Angela |title=The Rise of the 3-Parent Family |date=22 September 2020 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/09/how-build-three-parent-family-david-jay/616421/ |publisher=The Atlantic |access-date=15 March 2023}}
Writing
In 2024, David Jay published a book on relationships titled Relationality: How Moving From Transactional to Transformational Relationships can Reshape Our Lonely World.{{Cite book |last=Jay |first=David |title=Relationality: How Moving from Transactional to Transformational Relationships Can Reshape Our Lonely World |date=August 27, 2024 |publisher=North Atlantic Books |year=2024 |isbn=9798889840541}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [http://www.asexuality.org/wiki/index.php?title=User:AVENguy AVENguy] – David Jay's online profile
- [http://asexualunderground.blogspot.com/ Love from the Asexual Underground] - David Jay's blog and podcast about asexuality
- [http://www.asexuality.org/ AVEN] – Asexual Visibility and Education Network.
- [http://therumpus.net/2011/08/the-rumpus-interview-with-david-jay-star-of-the-new-documentary-asexual/ Interview with Jay]
- {{IMDb name | id = 2517993}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jay, David}}
Category:Crossroads College Preparatory School alumni
Category:Activists from St. Louis
Category:Wesleyan University alumni
Category:American LGBTQ rights activists
{{US-activist-stub}}