What's Going On: October 2021

Written by the AUREA team Word count: 700 words
Estimated reading time: 4 mins

Are you online?

For all the aromantics living in Ireland and Northern Ireland: Ace Aro Pride Week is here! What was once an Ace Pride event has been expanded to include aromantics. Whether you’d like to sit back and enjoy the show or get involved with the activities, all are welcome. This virtual event will take place from the 24th to the 30th of October via Facebook and Youtube. If you’re interested in submitting your work, here are the guidelines:

  • Asexual and Aromantic people living in Ireland and Northern Ireland can contribute. You can contribute by messaging the page or emailing your submissions. 

  • You can record videos on you explaining asexuality or aromanticism.A video talking about your experience being Ace or Aro

  • A video of you debunking myths and assumptions on the ace and aro community

  • A video of you having an intersectional identity with being Ace/Aro such as being disabled, having a mental illness, having other LGBTQIA+ identities, from a ethnic minority or the traveller community, being religious and ace/aro or from a religious minority, ace/aro and being from a race minority

  • Willing to do a virtual interview on being Ace/Aro

  • You can submit to multiple categories and it can be anywhere from a minute to twenty minutes.

This month’s Carnival of Aros topic is Friendship, a topic aromantics have much to say on! The prompts for October can be found on our host VioletEmerald’s website: here. And for those of you interested, Arias_Hollow has posted the round-up of last month’s topic on Language. Go have a read or a write, either way: enjoy the Carnival!

Aros in the Media

Articles

Be more understanding of those who are aromantic by Ian Stobaugh

In my room, I have a pride flag. It’s a flag that has five stripes: dark green, light green, white, grey and black. When most people see it hanging on my wall, they ignore it or don’t notice it at all.

A discussion piece that highlights the invisibility of aros and how amatonormativity plays into that behaviour.

If we want true equality, we need to embrace the diversity of our LGBTQIA+ family by Yasmin Benoit

LGBTQIA+ people are not yet treated as equals and unfortunately, that inequality can also be found within the community.

Benoit writes about intracommunity wars and the importance of diversity.

I feel like an outsider in both disabled and queer spaces by Jasper Williams

Several years ago, I attended an LGBT+ conference, but it became clear that I was one of only two wheelchair users out of hundreds of delegates when I arrived.

Williams explains how intersection is necessity when it comes to community through his experiences in disabled and queer spaces.

Here's Everything You Need to Know About Aromantic Sexuality by HelloGiggles

Growing up in a heteronormative world as an LGBTQ+ person can be hellishly confusing. Things get even more complicated if your identity lives under one of the additional letters covered by the plus sign that mystifies so many straight people.

A great 101 piece that does talk about asexuality a lot, but only to make it extremely clear that aromanticism and asexuality aren’t the same.

Books

Green Rising by Lauren James

Gabrielle is a climate-change activist who shoots to fame when she becomes the first teenager to display a supernatural ability to grow plants from her skin. Hester is the millionaire daughter of an oil tycoon and the face of the family business. Theo comes from a long line of fishermen, but his parents are struggling to make ends meet.

Aromantics Address

  • A-Cafe Is An Upcoming App Made For Asexual And Aromantic People - join the Discord to chat with the developers and keep up to date on their progress

  • Do you ever feel alienated by the aromantic community? A discussion is being held on Pillowfort about how both aroaces and aroallos feel left out. If you don’t have an account, discussion is also being invited on Twitter. CW for the comments: aroacephobia, alloarophobia, aphobia,

  • On the topic of community, we’ve put out a submission piece that asks who do you mean when you say “the aromantic community” and what you want to see in the future for aros. Find the form here.

Papo Aromantic