I have identified as ace/asexual for 6-7years now. (Recently accepting that I am demi, but still going by ace as a segway into a full explanation of demisexuality, if I feel the other person is willing to listen & learn...) I only explicitly told 2 people I was interested in that I was ace. The first person completely invalidated it with the usual anti-asexual comments and tried to push my boundaries. It was so hurtful and while I'm glad I left that situation, I still haven't fully recovered from that experience... The second person was a little more understanding (they identify as LGBTQIA+, so that was a common ground for us to talk about our identities and experiences). And the further we got into our relationship, I realized that I might actually be demi and told them so. They were happy for me that I came closer to my own truth. (But the relationship dynamics changed since then, which brought on those doubting feelings from past experiences. I'm still recovering...