#aromantic inclusion

[corelliaxdreaming]

I have no intent of playing Fate of the Empress, but the way they openly advertise the fact that you can be straight, gay - or play without romance at all makes me so freaking happy.

#aromantic #aromantic inclusion

[amalgamezz]

things that allos do that make aspecs accuse them of being aphobic:

mocking their labels and vocab

invalidating their existence

trivializing their experience

excluding them from the queer community

comparing them to paedophiles and MAP groups

comparing them to their oppressors

things that aspecs do that make allos accuse them of being homophobic/queerphobic:

existing

talking about their personal experience and headcanons

expressing their wish to be included in the queer community

#aphobia #aromantic #actually aromantic #asexual #actually asexual #the number of people accusing us of being queerphobic is wild lmfao #we r literally just existing #aspec communities r literally the most inclusive and anti-terf groups in the community. tbh idk wtf r yall even going at.

[codthefishgod]

To all the people who think aspec people aren't LGBTQIA+ because we aren't "discriminated against enough", here's a lovely list of reasons why you need to educate yourself:

- We suffer from dehumanisation, people actively devaluing or even erasing our humanity because of our identities (The voidpunk community is heavily supported by aspec people because of this)

- We suffer from self hatred due to feeling as if and being told we are broken, that no one can be happy unless they're in a romantic/sexual relationship, because of allonormativity and amatonormativity that actively damages our mental health

- Amatonormativity shapes laws that put us at an active disadvantage, such as giving married people financial and legal benefits

- Aspec people have been victims of conversion therapy, correctional rape, a lower quality of life, and other effects of being a marginalised and oppressed group

- We suffer from our identities being pathologised and deal with medical stigma because of this, causing many of us to feel unwelcome in and even avoid health care settings

- We suffer from our identities being erased, which can range from people completely denying our existence and people equating it to celibacy, to an almost complete absence of aspec representation in the media (It's been getting better lately, especially for alloaces and aroaces, but I have yet to ever see a canon aroallo character, and representation for those on the spectrum rather than in the extremes is often ignored)

- YOU are creating a hateful, exclusionary space in a community meant to be about inclusion. The same thing that happens to us happens to bisexual people, to polyamorous people, and other identities that are "disputed." In a community meant to be about rejecting the norm, YOU are shoving us out because we don't fit the norm of being LGBTQIA+. Because we're not enough like you.

These are only a few examples of aphobia that people like me deal with. Discrimination and oppression against aspec people stretches far beyond this.

But even if it didn't, it is disrespectful and harmful to everyone involved to gatekeep membership in the community based on oppression and discrimination.

We aren't LGBTQIA+ because we experience oppression. We are LGBTQIA+ because our existence alone goes against heteronormativity and other societal norms forced upon us.

#lgbtq #lgbtqia #aromantic #asexual #aromanticism #asexuality #ace #aro #aspec rights #aspec #aro pride #aroace #arospec #ace pride #ace rights #acespec #aro rights #this has been a psa #psa #information #important psa #aroaceprideispridetoo #we are enough #allonormativity #amatonormativity #discrimination #aspec discrimination #oppression #inclusion #educate yourself

[yiddishfiles]

Something that i think is equally important to saying "asexual people aren't asexual because of trauma/body issues and asexuality isn't a phase" is saying "for some people their asexuality IS because of trauma/body issues and it might be something that can be worked through with therapy/recovery but they r still asexual" lots of ppl are asexual for lots of different reasons and u can't go around prescribing the ace experience

#lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqia #lgbtqia+ #asexual #asexuel #ace #aroace #aromantism #asexuality #asexual inclusion #asexual icons #ace visibility day

[inkkkkss]

"Aro/aces aren't part of the lgbtq+ community , they don't face any oppression "

The LGBTQIA+ community is for people who deviate from the cishetnorm. Its for people that don't fit the image of liking the opposite gender sexually and romantically, while identifying as their AGAB.

Aros and aces don't fit into the ideal hetronormative identity therfore THEY ARE PART OF THE COMMUNITY

#aromantic #aro #aro pride #arospec #aromanitc #aromantic pride #aromanticism #aspec #aromantism #lgbtq #lgbtqia #lgbtqia community #aroace #asexual inclusion #asexuality #asexual

[enbeemagical]

normalize being a little bit in love with your friends

normalize being not at all in love with anything

normalize love being confusing and weird as hell

normalize love not being romantic

normalize love not being

normalize not loving

normalize loving in the wrong way

just. normalize being unapologetically yourself

#sleepyposting #i 100% should not be awake right now #i'm a little bit in love with a lot of things and people #aromantic #actually aromantic #lovequeer aro #loveless aro #this post is loveless aro inclusive #cuz it's awesome #it's like being around people who say they don't do bad things bc god says not to and rhen not understanding why an athiest doesn't do them #and by it i mean: being around people who think love is necessary to be good or a person or whatever #and oh it doesn't have to be romantic. and then they get confused by loveless aros and they go #like oh you actually do feel love you just don't call it that. oh you actually do believe in god you just don't call him that #like no actualy #god and love are unnecessary for goodness and personnenes and uh. *draws a big line around everythung* that #OKAY GOGOD NIGBT NOW <3 #i primise #probanly

[thereallyreallylatebird]

Daily reminder that using "asexual" as an umbrella term for ace-spec identities is fine and good.

But also,

Daily reminder that using "asexual" as an umbrella term for ace *and* aro-spec identities is not.

Aromanticism is not a subset of asexuality, and should not be grouped under the term asexual as if it is. Doing so erases aromantic allosexual people by making being asexual a barrier to entry to being aromantic.

No, it doesn't matter that's how it's been used in the past. Terminology changes. No, it doesn't matter if you don't mean it that way, people trying to figure out their identity will still see that you're grouping aromantic under asexual and assume they can't be aromantic because they're not asexual (partially why it took me so long to figure out I'm aro).

That's all.

#brought to you by me having an argument about this exact thing in a youtube comments section #with an aroace (unconfirmed but definitely aroace or alloace) person too #this is our (aroallos) community as well #please use inclusive language #it's not that hard #aromantic #asexual #aromantic allosexual #aro #ace #aroallo #thereallyreallylatebird

[fixing-bad-posts]

[Image description: The words, "AROS & ACES belong in OUR SPACES," coloured using the colours of the aromantic pride flag, asexual pride flag, and the 9-stripe Gilbert Baker pride flag. The text is overlaid on a blurry image of lavender flowers.]

---

i was inspired to make a text graphic based on one of my first and most popular posts

#if anyone knows how to make buttons please take this as an invitation 🙏 #not fbp #queer #queer positivity #asexuality #asexual #aromantic #aro pride #aro positivity #aro inclusion #ace inclusion #ace inclusive #queer inclusivity #queer inclusion #queer pride #lgbtq #ace pride #aroace #aromantism #ace positivity #pride month #inclusion

[voids-ideas]

"It's forced inclusion this" "it's forced inclusion that"

GOOD

If we were included voluntarily, we wouldn't need to be talking about inclusion

#Someone has probably already said this #but every time I hear the phrase “forced inclusion” in a complaint #I get stressed out. #asexual #autistic #autism #trans #disability #aromantic #disabled #lgbtq community #lgbtq #lgbtqia #feminism

[esf-art-and-design]

You wanna know something crazy?

I work for a LGBTQ+/Queer non-profit, I’ve had to sit in on training seminars on how to best support our community, how to create a space that is actually safe for everyone in the community, etc.

You wanna know the one thing that was emphasized by these professionals running these seminars (who are also a part of the community btw)

Telling queer people what their labels for their identity ought to be is extremely harmful.

Gatekeeping the community from other people who are figuring themselves out because of labels is harmful?! Shocker I know, but yes it is.

You know what this means right? It means that:

You don’t get to tell a guy experimenting with queer sex that he’s gay/bi/queer/etc if he ID’s as straight

You don’t get to tell a woman experimenting with queer sex that she’s lesbian/bi/queer/etc. if she ID’s as straight

You don’t get to tell aces who are hetero sexual/Romantic that they don’t belong in queer spaces

You don’t get to blame bi lesbians/m-spec women for creepy cishet men entering wlw spaces to hit on women (in an entitled way) (that’s called misogyny babes)

You don’t get to tell someone they are unlovable/not deserving of a relationship/etc. because of the label they use

You don’t get to tell people that actions invalidate their labels because “actions speak louder than words”

You don’t get to demand to know what labels someone uses because of their actions. (Or you don’t force someone to out themselves)

You don’t apply labels to someone from pure speculation (you could be outing someone and putting them in danger)

You don’t get to tell people their labels are “contradictory” or “don’t make sense” and demand they choose one label over the other

Other Labels cannot harm your own identity, and if you act like it can your wrong and harming the community

And ultimately, It means that according to actual professionals within the lgbtq non-profit space, the exclusionists in the community are wrong and are doing immeasurable harm.

Basically what I’m saying is that everyone is welcome here on my blog, policing identity is harmful, and yes, the exclusionists that told you that your identity is invalid or made fun of you for your identity we’re so fucking wrong.

Everyone who experiences sexual orientation, attraction, gender identity, and gender expression differently belongs within our community.

Gatekeeping only keeps people deserving of services away from the spaces where they can get those services. It keeps them away from peer support. And that’s not good, especially if you know the statistics for self harm and suicide within the community.

#tw suicide mention #tw self harm mention #bi lesbian #inclusive lesbian #he/him lesbians #gaysbian #ace #asexual #aromantic #aroace #aroallo #anti exclusionist #exclusionists dni #sapphic #bi lesbian positivity #aroace positivity #asexual positivity #aromantic positivity

[citnamora]

What is more aro than reworking the very definition of love?

#hot aro shit #relationship anarchy #lovequeer #loveless #aromantic #actually aromantic #this is loveless. lovequeer inclusive. there is nothing more aro than defining for yourself what love means to you #if it means anything at all.

[lizzieraindrops]

like oh my god. yes ikora is extremely aromantic. yes chalco is the love of her soul. yes it's entirely platonic and all-consuming. yes she's also demi for eris. yes it's incredibly lesbian/sapphic. yes that's equally important. yes this does incorporate them into the greater reef polycule. what's not clicking

#aphobes do Not speak to me. #aromanticism is 1. real 2. a highly inclusive spectrum #3. polyamory exists #ikora is SO complicated okay. #she contains the multitudes #source: TWQ CE lore and every interaction she's ever had with eris #destiny 2 #ikora rey #chalco yong #eris morn #erikora #ikoris #eris/ikora #chalco/ikora #aro ikora #aromantic #demiromantic #the greater reef polycule part is only kind of a joke. whatever is going on with eris and mara counts imltho #lizzie taking up space #destinewt

[demiaroacejolynekujo]

Lately, I've been seeing discourse about if it's okay to romantically ship Alastor with other characters regardless of the fact he's canonically aroace. I've decided to put my two cents into this as an aroace person.

As a romance and sex favored aroace person, using the whole "ace/aro people can be in relationships" thing should only be used when aphobes and exclusionists are trying to dehumanize Ace/Aro people, not in shipping discourse. I understand that people are trying to say that in good faith. However, that statement can be used as a way to exclude and invalidate romance/sex repulsed Ace/Aro people.

The only way it's okay to romantically ship Ace/Aro characters is if those said characters aren't romance/sex repulsed. Alastor is clearly a romance and sex repulsed aroace character, and putting him in romantic/sexual ships ignores his undesire for a romantic and sexual relationship. However, there's nothing wrong with putting him in platonic or "frienemies"/rival ships as long as you're not doing it for the purpose of wanting him in a romantic/sexual relationship.

I can not speak for the entirety of the Ace/Aro community, but it's important to acknowledge that there's nothing wrong with aroace people who don't pursue romantic/sexual relationships. It's completely valid, and it's also important to normalize the diversity of the Asexual, Aromantic, and aroace spectrums.

#hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel critique #asexual #aromanitc #aromantic asexual #asexual aromantic #acespec #arospec #asexual spectrum #aromantic spectrum #aroace #aroace spectrum #anti exclusionist #inclusionist #radical inclusion #rad inclus #rad inclusionist #aphobia

[aro-who-reads]

Found another "aromantic" mention in a book out in the wild, in Australian queer fairytale retelling anthology 'Everything Under the Moon'.

According to the forward, one of the stories is about an aromantic character!

#aro books #Obviously it's only one short story in a whole collection. But aromantic inclusion in queer anthologies is often missing

[animarret]

Ranting about aroace exclusionists a bit: tl:dr my issue is not even the exclusion at this point, it's the lack of respect for ace and/or aro experiences and identity.

Saw one of those whole "should aces belong in queer spaces" debates making the rounds and it got me thinking about some exclu points like. Notably one I kept seeing was along the lines of not feeling safe in queer spaces with "straight" people and like. Okay. We have different ideas of queerness but I sympathize with the sentiment even if I disagree. But it got me thinking about how, if a space is mostly exclusionist towards aces and aros... why would we (aces and/or aros) be there anyway?

Like, I as a queer person (nonbinary and romantically ??? Something not straight) and also as an ace, I know I wouldn't be comfortable in a space like that, even if my more acceptably queer identities were fine there. Because in my experience exclus, kind or not, aren't understanding enough of ace experiences to where I could see that part of me being accepted enough to be open about it.

If any exclus read this for whatever reason: are you as normal about aces and aros as you think? Do you *actually listen* to us? Bc most I've encountered 1) don't have pretty basic definitions of identities on those spectrums correct (aromantic is never mentioned? Gray or demi labels? Hell half the time the definition of ace is wrong), and by extension downplay and dismiss ace and aro experiences. Not even just about like, people being bullied or the more oppressive experiences like that. But like, do you realize that being ace and/or aro can just affect everyday shit?? Shows and movies I like and why are affected by this. The way I practice my religion is affected by my aceness. It is, in fact, an important part of me that is reflected in everything I do. And AVEN is a website, guys. Cmon.

My point is, why would I waste time in a space where the people (no matter how many times you say "aces are valid!!! Just not lgbt") consistently show a complete lack of care or willingness to actually learn about or understand mine and other's experiences? Why would I feel comfortable or safe, even, being in a group that not only doesn't understand asexuality, but isn't willing to try (as friends, comrades, community, etc) to understand me, as an asexual person?

I'm not invading exclu lgbt spaces because I have better friends and allies than that. I have better places to be.

And if you're exclusionist and me asking/saying these things bothers you, maybe make a better effort to be allies to aces and aros. Because for all your talk about us and your valid posts I don't see you making an effort for us. Do better!! Prove me wrong!! Make me eat my angry words!! Want us out? Support ace and aro spaces then! Get our fucking words right! Listen to us!

#ace #asexual #aroace #aromantic #aro #ace inclusion #aro inclusion #anti exclusionist

[entropy-sea-system]

Shoutout to aros in plural systems who have in sys partners!!

[endogenic - safe post. sysmeds DNI]

#aro #partnering aro #partners #aromantic #dia aro #romo aro #actually plural #actually aromantic #headmate4headmate #plural #system #plural system #endo safe #plural community #sysmeds dni #origin inclusive #anti endos dni