Right. I feel I need to address a lot of points made in this thread.

What is the purpose of the parade marches? Obviously RTerroni has a different reason to me, I’ve already stated mine. Yes, it seems the majority of people are there to be noticed- the outrageous costumes testify to that- but for most of the AVEN people I marched with, they just wanted people to know that asexuality exists and that it’s ok to be asexual, which brings me onto the next question. Going to the Pride Parades are a good medium for that message to be passed on. As well as that, one hopes that people at Pride would be more open minded, or that some of those who are there are actually asexual but have fallen into the "trap" of concluding that if they are not attracted to the opposite sex, they must be gay (not uncommon and can lead to continual confusion or bad situations), or also because for most asexuals, the only support they may get in their local areas are from LGBT groups and not all of those groups accept asexuals. An asexual who feels alone can become very depressed because they feel different, unaccepted and alone. They may fear that they will be single for the rest of their lives (if they desire partnership) or have other concerns that no one off the internet is willing to comfort or advise them about.

Are asexuals discriminated against? Yes. They may not be murdered or persecuted in law, but that doesn’t mean that our experiences are all sweetness and rainbows. The common response to a declaration of asexuality is of dismissal- telling someone they can’t be asexual because it doesn’t exist, saying they should go to the doctor or go to therapy because they MUST have been abused, saying they need to find the right person, telling them they should have sex anyway. They can be the subject of ridicule for being different and continual mocking is a common complaint. On one occasion, I myself was leapt on and groped while someone took a picture- that really shook me. Other people take an asexual as a “challenge” because apparently they are “just playing hard to get”, or else take it as a personal affront that the asexual isn’t interested in them with whatever reaction that entails.
Asexuals who have never heard of asexuality think they must be gay, straight or bi and the fact that they don’t feel sexual attraction at all serves to confuse them greatly and it can lead to depression or to sexual experiences that were unwanted- social pressure or a non-asexual romantic partner. Especially at school where it seems like everyone is doing it, the pressure on someone can be enormous and if someone who doesn’t really desire it, the participation can be both mentally and potentially physically damaging. I’ve heard lots of stories of asexuals who have been forced or coerced into sex acts by someone who supposedly loved them because they thought that was what they were supposed to do or because the relationship would end if they didn’t. I’ve even heard of one asexual who was “correctively raped” although thankfully that is apparently rare.

Visibility and Education about asexuality can also be helpful in that it can explain to a mixed orientation couple why they might be having problems in the bedroom department and they can work it out or come to a conclusion, rather than one partner feeling pressured and the other feeling undesirable. With regards to Hankster’s comment, although that example wouldn’t necessarily be related to asexuality, if it develops that asexuality is more accepted, it might help others in similar situations feel more comfortable with lack of a sex life or a lower frequency of sexuality because at the moment, our society is indeed very sexualised and people who don’t meet up to that are often made to feel bad about themselves.

Also with regards to Hankster’s comment, I feel bound to elaborate that asexuality is not a choice, as with any orientation. Asexuality is where someone does not experience sexual attraction. They may still have a libido, still have sex, or even enjoy sex, they may have a desire for a romantic partner, but they do not experience sexual attraction, which is the key thing and the basis for any definition of orientation. It’s a difficult distinction to make for someone who feels all of these things, but to an asexual it makes sense. If anyone like me to go further into that, feel free to PM me. The only “choice” about any orientation is what you do or don’t do with it, not who you do or don’t do it with.