#aro spectrum

It includes asexual but not aromantic.

Oh boy! Another positivity post expressing love for specific queer identities! I says with joys

It includes asexual, demisexual,*and* demiromantic, but not aromantic.

Oh boy. A *different* positivity post expressing love for specific queer identities..

Asexual and aroace. No aromantic.

Oh b-

Appreciation post for this lineup of flags that is fuckin rad and now lives rent free in my head

They've accepted the idea that men can have sex with men, and women can have sex with women, and they're aware that maybe some people like both men and women... but that's just about where it stops. (And occasionally you even run into LGB people who have a similarly restrictive idea of queer possibilities.)

But something that is, at least to some extent, a gift from the aspec community to the broader queer community is the awareness that queerness can look like so many different things (and shout-out to the polyamorous and relationship anarchist sides of the community too). Attraction can manifest in so many different ways. Love can manifest in so many different ways. The singular model mainstream society has of “what a relationship is” is simply not the only one out there, nor the be-all and end-all of love, partnerships, and relationships; and genuine inclusivity takes a lot more than merely remembering that “oh yeah, I guess these relationships can be M/M or F/F as well, not just M/F”.

Where it becomes actively irritating is when people who bill themselves as “LGBT-friendly” - or at the very least, think of themselves as generally open-minded, not homophobic, and aware of gay people - clearly have absolutely no idea at all of the possibilities beyond homosexuality and (maybe) bisexuality. The ace spectrum? The aro spectrum? Romantic, aesthetic, alterous attraction? Squishes? Queerplatonic relationships? Love without sex? Love without romance? Relationships that complicate the “romantic/platonic” binary? Just, you know, models of relationships that are not “two allo people have a committed and exclusive romantic relationship with sex at the centre”? The fact that someone can go their whole life never having sex with someone of the same gender, and never wanting to, and still 100% be queer? Yeah, nah, they've never come across any of these ideas.

And it ends up being a huge blind spot for them, particularly any time they end up writing authoritatively about identities and relationships and the like, but they're generally not motivated to correct that blind spot, because they have no idea it even exists. All of this stuff is a total “unknown unknown” for them. They don't know that their understanding of, say, asexuality is piss-poor, because they either think it doesn't exist, or they think they already know what it is and don't have to look into it further. They don't know that their understanding of aromanticism is nonexistent because they've never heard of aromanticism in their goddamn life.

Much of it is well-meaning. I'm not really talking about the people who are actively shitty about aspec people; more the folks who genuinely think of themselves as informed and open-minded and tolerant and yet have this giant gaping blind spot. I see it in academia all the time - people will discuss queerness, and the only thing they bring up is monogamous same-sex allo relationships. And, you know, it's great that they're mentioning that! It's obviously better than them not even broaching queerness at all. But my goodness there's a lot that's being left out here, and I think intellectually we all suffer as a result.

There needs to be way more awareness of aspec lives, and honestly far more willingness from straight people - particularly any who write about love, sex, relationships, anything like that - to pay attention to and learn from diverse sectors of the queer community, rather than assuming that because they've got their heads around the idea of being M/M or F/F they now comfortably understand All Of Queerness.

Hey, all! I'm here posting this because I'm volunteering to host ACP this year (I'm an AUREA volunteer and participated last year), and I'm trying to get the word out. Aros Create Pride is back!!!  

What is Aromantics Create Pride?

This is a celebration of works created by aromantics. If desired, the content will be shared and positive commentary will be given to all submitted works. Your creation can be written, visual, audio, video, or anything else that can be viewed online or shared in a private zoom meeting. 

The submitted works do not have to be aro-themed, though we do encourage that you take this event and Pride month as an opportunity to put more aro content out into the world.

This event is not limited to any platform, though updates can be found on tumblr, facebook, and instagram. Submissions are open from July 5th to July 31st.

The submission form is here: https://forms.gle/rhrz6SsqeMrnveEF6

How does this event work?

The first step is for creators to submit their works. 

Then, based on submissions, we will set a date for a zoom call when most folks can be available. During the call, participants will be invited to share their creation and receive feedback.. We will focus on positive, celebratory feedback, with room for questions and, only if you want, more constructive feedback. 

For folks who are unable to make the call or do not wish to participate, all works will be shared virtually among participants, with everyone encouraged to provide positive comments on at least three works. 

Your work must be accessible online via a link. You can use any platform that allows free, public access. While we would love to share and publicize your work, if you prefer for your work to remain private, you may use a private-access link, such as ones used for sharing google documents. Links will be shared only among Aros Create Pride participants and facilitators.

The submission form will ask what is being submitted, i.e. art, prose, music, etc.; content warnings (CW), if any, for the work; and a way to contact you. It will also ask for your time zone for scheduling and whether you prefer for your work to be shared publicly or shared only with Aro Create Pride participants and facilitators. 

Once submissions close, we will set a date and time for the zoom call and share works among participants and facilitators. You are encouraged to provide comments for works that prioritise positivity and friendliness. This event is meant to inspire collaboration, visibility, and connection. Please do not provide constructive feedback unless explicitly requested by the creator. 

At the end of the event we will share all works that creators would like to share publicly on our newsfeed. For an example, you can see last year’s collection here. 

If you have any further questions or comments, contact us at [email protected].

Guidelines

Both original and fan works are allowed. Works may be completed or in progress. We ask that you limit your submission to one piece (for example, a short story as opposed to multi-chapter work) and one entry. The piece should be:

Art: 1 complete visual piece to 5-piece collection

Comic: 1 comic of 3 to 10 pages

Everyday creations: 1 item, taking at least 1 hour to make, photographed, with a description

Handmade items: 1 item, taking at least 2 hours to make, photographed, with a short description

Photography: 3- to 10-piece collection

Poetry: 1 poem, no shorter than 70 words, to 5 poems, each no longer than 400 words

Prose: 1 piece of 3 thousand to 15 thousand words

Song: 1 recorded piece, vocal, instrumental, or both

Video: 1 video of 1 minute to 30 minutes

Art can include traditional and digital drawings, fan videos, edits, etc. Prose can be fiction or nonfiction. Everyday creations would include things like baking or flower compositions. Handmade items would cover such things as: clothes-making, embroidery, pin, patch or badge making, sculpture, or woodwork. If you aren’t sure about a piece, feel free to contact us.

Works that contain potentially triggering or discomforting content are allowed, but we ask that you list this information before sharing your work in any way. You can use this list of common themes to warn for as reference. This way, folks can take care of themselves as needed and enjoy content with less risk. 

Important Dates

July 5th: Sign-ups open

July 31st: Sign-ups close

August 8th: We will send out an email with the time and date of the call, as well as links to enjoy and comment on everyone’s work

Mid-August: We will meet on zoom to share and celebrate each other’s work

September: The collection of all submitted works will be posted here on the website

Please feel free to respond to this post with any questions as well.

@aromantic-official @aro-prompts @aroaessidhe @aroacesafeplaceforall @aromanticofficial @arospecawarenessweek @actuallysafe-for-aro @i-suggest-aro @just-aro @our-arospec-experience @aro-ace-culture-is @this-is-aromantic-joy @aggressivelyarospec @arospec-acespec