#aroace tech

For the entire duration of my time in this fandom, I have always pushed for aroace acceptance and representation in fandom media. This has largely been through my personal content with Tech, and my introduction of an aroace partner for him. And while I have gotten overwhelming support for these two over the years, I have also been met with extremely concerning pushback.

Death threats, anonymous messages, angry shippers telling me that my interpretation of Tech as a character is wrong and harmful, despite it being a 1:1 reflection of my own identity. I write and treat Tech as aroace because it makes me feel seen. Me, who is of the type of person where representation is solely restricted to harmful stereotypes, has found immense joy and comfort in making Tech aroace.

I do believe that this largely comes from the wave of fandom purity culture that followed the dreaded virus. In an attempt to protect a certain group of people, those in fandom will try and erase anything that they deem as harmful to that group - often erasing the very group they meant to protect in the process.

In our fandom, this is VERY prevalent. So let me speak on behalf of the many autistic and aroace folks I've met when I say;

If you do not believe that Tech can be aroace, or are of the belief that it is a "bad stereotype" for autistic people, this tells us that you believe romance is the checkmark for maturity as a human being, and that a lack of romantic attraction makes someone less of an adult. This also conveys to us that you see romance as the sole thing that makes someone a human - Because you believe an aroace headcanon "dehumanizes" and automatically "infantalizes" an autistic person.

... Are you seeing the issue here?

Aroace people are not any less mature than anyone else, simply due to their lack of romantic attraction. Likewise, they are not less human because of that either. Aroace people like me make the choice not to pursue romantic relationships because we simply have no interest in it. I am a fully functioning adult with a vibrant life that is not lacking in any regard or capacity due to the absence of romantic or sexual relationships. It is insulting to me that people think of me as less "mature" or less "human" because of my own personal choice to exclude these factors from my life. Similarly, it is harmful to see people be so adverse to Tech headcanons of a similar nature, under the guise of these things inherently being 'bad'.

Now, here are some common arguments given to me against this.

- People use it as an excuse or to be harmful/ableist towards autistic people!

I will be completely honest; it is extremely easy to spot an aroace headcanon for Tech, or for any autistic character, that is intentionally malicious.

You'll often find that someone who creates this content is not shy about showing, writing or displaying Tech in ways that are evidently infantalized or dehumanizing. Simply look at the subtext. Is this person creating aroace content for themselves and their own representation, or are they doing it because they do not believe autistic people can feel attraction? Are they displaying this belief in their writing or art?

If they are? Block them. It's as simple as that.

- Tech can't be aroace because Phee exists!

To this, I have quite a number of responses.

Firstly, aroace people are more than capable of being in relationships with others. Both segments of the identity are a spectrum of attraction, and this spectrum will look different for everyone. To say Tech is aroace does not automatically void him of the potential of a relationship. I have many friends who write and view him as aroace, and maintain that in Techphee as a ship. I, myself, write him as being involved in an aroace relationship. I am in one myself. Being aroace does not suddenly mean you can't be in a relationship - it is meant to describe your experience with attraction.

Secondly, remember that Techphee as a ship is not endgame. These are two characters who do not end up together. Even if the book expands on Tech's thoughts towards Phee and his mindset, the ending of the show will remain the same. It is perfectly reasonable that people may glean interpretations from this that align with Tech being aroace, adverse in various regards, etc. Likewise, it's perfectly fine to interpret the text as him being any other queer identity. Nobody is making you change your views, so please don't heckle others into doing the same.

Thirdly, remember that fandom is BUILT on the back of queer headcanons. If you trace fandom, OCs and the like back to their roots, all avenues will point you towards gay/mlm Star Trek content - even while the male characters in the show display open attraction to women. This has never stopped anyone, and it never will. Hell, Star Wars is built on it in a similar fashion. Despite Anakin and Padme being in a formal, canon relationship, there are THOUSANDS who write and treat Anakin as a gay man. The same applies for Obi-Wan and Satine, or even Ahsoka, who went as far as kissing Lux. Fandom is a means to represent yourself, and has always been a safe space for queer exploration. Do not exclude aroace people from that privilege.

- Why can't he just be happy?

This implies aroace people cannot be happy...? Which is a genuinely harmful rhetoric. To be happy and fulfilled in life does not mean one has to be in a relationship. It never has.

I am happy. Most aroace people I know are perfectly happy and content with their lives, their friendships and the connections with people they make. Our quality of life is not dampened by the lack of sexual or romantic connections we make. I'd argue it's bolstered by our ability to breeze through life without those aspects interrupting the things we want to do.

While this argument, and those who are angered by autistic/aroace headcanons ebb and flow like the waves, it is still disheartening to see the tides against aroace representation rise again everytime someone attempts to try and explore it. It makes me and many others feel unsafe and unwelcome in this fandom. I am frequently reminded of a Twitter post I made eons ago, which gained a small amount of traction on here...

In closing, let's all remember that we're here because we love Tech. He has been a massive milestone of importance in my life, as I am sure he has been for many others. We are all going to express our interest in this character in different ways - and that's okay! Do not rush to erase someone elses interpretation of a character simply because it is different than yours. Everyone has a right to explore this character, themselves, and anything else in their orbit.

Educate yourself on the topic of aroace identities, their frequency and relationship with autism, and how it impacts those who fall underneath both labels, as opposed to immediately running to cry "ableism".