#gray-ro

How has representation (coded or explicit) in media helped you? How has a lack of it harmed you? What would your ideal aro/arospec representation be? What do you think the aro community could do to make ourselves visible to others? What would you like more people to know about aros? If aromanticism and its spectrum were widely known, would you be more open about your arospec identity?

I've been thinking about what kind of aro characters I'd like to see a lot lately.

Because I watched Rent (and Rent Live) like 3 times in the past two weeks bc I needed something in the background while I was working on homework lol. But I kind of headcannoned Mark Cohen as demiro! Of course he wasn't the only character I Iiked or saw myself in, Angel and Mimi are Latinx like me and Maureen is bi/pan like me, and Joanne's character is great because she's this successful lawyer and a black lesbian! Plus Tom was played by Jesse L. Martin, who I already loved from his role in The Flash.

But it was just so cool that there was a character who didn't end up in a romantic relationship and was so supportive of his friends. And I headcannon him as demiro bc he dated Maureen, and it seems like friendship / emotional closeness are really important to him.

My dream aro rep is just a person who loves their friends a lot, and feels fulfilled by their non-romantic relationships. Also I've literally loved the "found family" trope since I was a kid lol.

I think my love for the "found family" trope started because my fave movie as a kid was The Tangerine Bear, which was a Christmas movie based on a children's book. I'd make my parents rent it from Hollywood Video all year round (until we finally bought bc they got tired of renting it lol.)

But anyway, the movie is about these teddy bears at a department store who are trying to find families to go home with. But this one teddy bear, named Tangy, has his mouth sewn upside down, and no one wants to buy him. So the department store sends him and all of the other products the store didn't sell, to this little discount shop run by this nice old man. Tangy starts becoming friends with a lot of other toys at this store. And because he sits in front of the window all the time, the sun turns his fur a tangerine color. So his friends nickname him Tangy. At the end of the movie he realizes he's already found his family, and it's just so great to see him learn to love his sad expression, and his tangerine colored fur. And then when he realizes that people will love him, not in spite of those differences, but because of them. It's just so beautiful, and I'm getting emotional as I write this lol.

I do wish more people knew about arospec people tho! Because I feel like a lot of people know about asexuality now, but aros are sort of ignored. I don't know if I would be more open, coming out is really scared for me, but I feel like if there was more representation / awareness it would be easier to explain my identity.

Like I'm also enby, and with Syd's character in One Day At A Time, it's going to be easier for me to come out to my friends as nonbinary! My best friend hasn't seen the 3rd season yet but I think I'll talk to her about being enby after she watches it! Because the 3rd season addresses Syd's enby identity more! :)

And I think I'd like people to know that we need to prioritize relationships that aren't romantic as well, and that pushing romance on everyone can be really harmful. We should look to encourage people take their time and find people who make their life more fulfilling, rather than pushing them to date anyone at all so they won't be alone.

And me and our other friend ended up playing checkers at this café for like an hour, while my best friend had her date, and it was really fun. Like I'm gray-ro so I was like maybe a date would be nice someday, but I just really love my friendships, and I think I'd enjoy this more.

and here i am today