Legally X

I think aromantic symbols are cool and deserve to be talked about more, so here’s a list of some of the interesting symbols used in the community! If you have any suggestions for the post, please let me know!

Arrows & archery

Origin/meaning: Arrow is a pun on aro, the shortened form of aromantic.

White ring on the middle finger of the left hand

Origin/meaning: A common asexual symbol is wearing a black ring on the middle finger of the right hand. The aro version was inspired by this, but the color and hand are reversed.

Gryphons (or griffins/griffons, however you want to spell it)

Origin/meaning: Aces have dragons as a symbol, because aces are often regarded as “invisible” and thus comparable to mythical creatures. Gryphons have been proposed as a mythical creature equivalent for aros.

Yellow flowers

Origin/meaning: In the world of flower color meanings, yellow flowers can be used to symbolize friendship and positivity.

Pizza & ice cream

Origin/meaning: Inspired by cake being an inside joke and/or symbol for ace folks (“cake is better than sex”), aros adopted pizza and ice cream as their own food symbols.

Spades (specifically for asexual aromantics)

Origin/meaning: In the asexual community, the ace of hearts is used to represent alloromantic asexuals, while the ace of spades is used to represent aromantic asexuals. Both involve a pun on ace, the shorted form of asexual.

Pineapples (specifically for allosexual aromantics; newer symbol)

Origin/meaning: Pineapples are emerging as a symbol in the alloaro community due to sharing colors with the alloaro flag.

Frogs (newer symbol)

Origin/meaning: I’m assuming this is because frogs are typically green, a color shared by the aro flag. Plus they’re just neat. :)

Manticores (newer symbol)

Origin/meaning: From the pun “aromanticore.”

Aardvarks (older / less common symbol?)

Origin/meaning: It seems to have originated from this meme format.

And as an honorable mention…

Anything green

Succulents? Green heart emojis? They belong to the aros now

➵ Flags

Because flags also act as symbols, here’s a section dedicated specifically to some of the more common arospec flags and their meanings! (Note: This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list of all arospec labels.) Under a read-more link because this post is already a bit long.

You are loved.

easy to pronounce, even for children (though kids 4 & younger may pronounce it more like "mayd" or "maygh")

ONE SYLLABLE!!! ("individual" is too goddamn LONG.) you have to be able to say it quickly and casually

ends in a soft consonant sound, so it'll flow right into the next word ("ind" halts the whole sentence)

fits neatly into the existing structure as a relative of master/mistress that can be abbreviated down to an m and one other letter

distinct enough that it can't be mistaken for either gendered term (if you call me mix I'll kill you. it sounds like miss with extra steps)

wizard.

drawbacks:

there aren't any

this is a way better model... you'll still get transphobic & intersexist drs of course but i prefer this to male / female or even having separate questions for gender & sex.

If you feel like you were "born in the wrong body", that's fine.

If you feel like you "used to be X gender but now you're Y gender", that's fine.

If you feel like you "were an X gender who chose to be a Y gender", that's fine.

If you feel like you've "always been Y gender", that's fine.

If you look at things with your deadname on or pre-transition photos and feel a sense of connection or recognition, that's fine.

If you look at things with your deadname on or pre-transition photos and feel like it's a completely different person, that's fine.

If you feel like you "killed the X gender you used to be", that's fine.

If you feel like "the X gender you used to be is still here but they're Y gender now", that's fine

Personally, I like to say that the little girl is still around, she just lets me do the talking now.

Honey Lee Cottrell, Loren Rex Cameron (1990).

Photo source: PrideIsAProtest

According to the website I found the photos on, the cockatiel (or at least one of the birds) is named Mr. Bird. The second photo also captions "Mr. Bird" as being in it, though there's no cockatiel in the frame and instead a lovebird and what is probably a budgie, so I don't know if "Mr. Bird" was a nickname for all his birds or just for his cockatiel.

Anyway. Don't mind me getting emotional about also being a trans man who loves birds and has a pet bird and likes houseplants....

and this story doesn’t read as well over text because you really have to see the guy. but he looks just like santa claus. he’s got the long white hair and the beard and the belly and everything. and i just. the amount of secondhand trans joy i experienced is truly insane. i’m gonna get old! i’m gonna get old the way i wanna get old! hey everybody you’re gonna get old; we’ve been doing it for years!