So I’ve been watching the second season of Never Have I Ever and thinking about how lovely the lesbian representation is, then BOOM
Once again, a show conflates asexuality and aromanticism, thus annoying the shit out of me.
“She’s an out-and-proud asexual so it’s far from romantic.” - episode 8
This show is currently ranked second in Netflix’s top ten. It’s being watched by huge numbers of people, who are being sent the ignorant message that is someone’s ace, they must be aro too, and vice versa.
This is very harmful to both the acespec and the arospec community. Netflix needs to do better.
Soooo many people have the idea in their heads that ace = aro, even those within the lgbt+ community, and it’s a huge part of why I didn’t discover my identity sooner. I am a (probably) alloromantic acespec and it took stumbling across a post from an ace meme account online to understand the difference and the SAM. Idk if it has to do with the concept that love = s3x but I am so tired of people mixing up the two and thinking there’s no difference between them.
To all: Do ur research.
To writers: Create better rep.
I see people saying that a character is asexual and using that as a justification of why they aren’t in a relationship, and I sigh and have to restrain myself from making an essay to copy paste about why Aromantic and Asexual are not the same thing.
also!! you can totally be in a relationship with someone if you're ace, or aro, or both!! not only that, but being ace or aro is a spectrum. being demisexual/demiromantic (which i'm just using as an example because i think that it's what's most widely known) falls under the ace/aro umbrella!
reblogging this again with the new addition!
