Long ass asexual rant incoming
I'm not using the "new" ace flag because everything surrounding it was an absolute shitshow and I want nothing to do with it. I have nothing against the flag itself or the creator. I appreciate what she's done to offer an alternative for people who want it.
However, here's my issues:
-Some people were wildly racist towards her. Those aren't people I want anywhere near my community.
-Other people who offered valid critique were dismissed/attacked in comment sections. You can't be inclusive of the ace community by brushing off their concerns. Some valid critiques include:
• Purple/Yellow is too similar to the nonbinary flag
• The specific shades clash
• The ace community is already underrepresented and misunderstood by the general public, a new flag may add to that
•Calling the flag "new" and "official" in its reveal post caught many people off guard
• A survey of less than 2000 people deciding on the colors/meaning is not inclusive/reflective of the whole community
•Pink in other pride flags is typically used to represent femininity in some way, which some male aces felt like they were being left out, even if that wasn't the intended meaning
-Then, one of the first big coverages of the flag was this, made by a white man. It was rightfully called out in the comments as coming across as a white savior, and for a flag that was supposed to be inclusive, making vague, clickbait statements like this only drive people further apart. When people called it out, he doubled down in another post.
-previously, the creator asked for the original color meaning to be changed was ignored by AVEN, a major name in ace voices.
-Despite claims of the "new" flag being multicultural, MULTIPLE ace organizations around the world are calling out that their opinions are being ignored and belittled. Reddit offered a translation and link to articles: https://www.reddit.com/r/asexuality/comments/1u1cyun/from_an_italian_asexual_blog_about_the_socalled
All together, the introduction of a new design only caused more divide, aces attacking other aces, and refusal to see anyone else's perspective. This is not what the ace community should look like. I don't care how good intentioned anyone was, it was a mess and I think everything involved is a terrible representation of the community as a whole.
I by no means want to shut down any conversations about serious topics and the way marginalized groups are treated, nor is it my place to. But I am saying that the whole situation completely soured my opinion on the alternative flag and caused more harm than good for everyone involved in my opinion.
