Asexuality is an orientation.
Asexuality means - in its purest sense - that you feel no sexual attraction to anyone. This doesn't mean you don't have sex, it just means you don't feel sexually attracted, 'turned on', if you like, by anyone else.
It's an orientation just as much as heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality.
Children should learn about all types of sexual orientation. Not because it's an attempt to 'indoctrinate' them or make them think about their own sexuality, but because it's a way of helping them to understand that not everybody in the world is like them and/or their parents and they need to be understanding and open minded of different ways of living life. As they get older, understanding from a young age that it's normal and acceptable and totally fine to feel sexually attracted to the same sex, to feel attracted to both the opposite and same sex, and not to feel sexually attracted to anyone at all, is also vital to ensuring they feel safe, secure and comfortable in their own identities, whatever they might turn out to be.
The trauma caused to people by having to suppress their sexuality in a society that is heteronormative is well known. Asexual people are no different in this.
I am asexual - in that I feel no sexual attraction to anyone, and feel repulsed at the thought of sex - and have always been this way. It's just part of who I am. I have not experienced any trauma - never been sexually assaulted, grew up in a perfectly happy household. Both my siblings are happily married and had sexual partners from teenage years - I never did. Never got it, never understood it, never wanted it. It is so upsetting and offensive to constantly have people peddle this myth that there is no such thing as asexuality - just traumatised people. We would NEVER say that to homosexual people in this day and age - so why to asexual people?
I have spent my adult life forcing myself to have relationships with people because I thought that was what people did. I had no idea asexuality was an orientation. I had never been taught in any part of my own sexual health lessons at school that it was possible and indeed absolutely fine not to feel any sexual attraction at all. In a world where everyone talks about sex all the time, it's actually really hard and confusing to be someone who doesn't ever think about it, and doesn't know why they don't think about it. Discovering asexuality a couple of years ago has given me so much freedom. I could have been spared so much pain and confusion if someone at some point in my childhood or teenage years had told me that asexuality existed as an orientation. As such, I wholeheartedly agree with the girlguides raising awareness of this. If that could help one girl in the future avoid the pain I've experienced as an adult trying to force myself to fit into a heteronormative world, then it will be doing a great service.
It is very saddening to read such ignorance and bigotry on this thread. I don't support the current trends in gender ideology at all, but asexuality as a sexual orientation is real, it is involuntary and it is disgusting to read the kinds of dismissive, cruel and actually quite nasty comments on here about asexuality. I am not traumatised, I am not mentally ill, I don't have a hormone disorder and I am not repressing my homosexuality. @trancepants I am reporting your post because it's downright misinformation and wholly insensitive and offensive.