Why Aro/Ace awareness is important to me
I’m ten years old and my parents tell me I can’t invite my best friend to my party because he’s a boy.
I’m eleven years old and whenever we play truth or dare I get asked if I have a crush on anyone and my answer is always the same
I’m twelve years old and the phrasing of the question has changed from “do you have a crush” to “who do you have a crush”. I always pick dare.
I’m thirteen years old and the sexual jokes people make around me make me uncomfortable, not because of the nature of the joke, but because of the intentions behind it.
I’m fourteen years old and I refuse to play truth or dare. The dares I’m given always seem to involve other people in more intimate ways than the dares everyone else gets. I’ve also realised how fucked up it is that I would rather lick a door than endure being called a liar or a prude when my answer is “I don’t have a crush.”
I’m fifteen years old and an old childhood friend has asked me out. I feel guilty to the point of illness when I turn them down. My friends think this is hilarious.
I’m sixteen years old and I’m so afraid of showing anyone any kind of affection, physical or otherwise, for fear they may take it the wrong way, or make fun of me because I don’t. There are two people in the world I am willing to touch, and one is a family member.
I’m seventeen years old and I’ve just learned about the existence of aromanticism. My previous encounters with people identifying as asexual (all one of them) never mentioned anything about not experiencing romantic attraction, so the term seems more fitting when in conjunction with this new term.
I’m eighteen years old and the old friend who asked me out is messaging me again, making sexual jokes and implications. He asks me if I’m straight, and when I say I’m asexual/aromantic, he claims he respects that, yet continues his unwanted advances. I make the decision to not talk to him again.
I’m nineteen years old and my sister informs me that my mother is insisting behind my back that eventually I will “Find someone, and that humans always pair up in the end because of biology.” The implications behind this hurt.
I see people on here saying that “Pride” is about people expressing their sexuality, and accepting part of who they are, but I also see the same people saying that Asexuality doesn’t need pride, because they’re not discriminated against for ~*~not having sex.~*~ And I don’t know about EVERYONE, but from my experience, even unintentionally, people would treat me differently. Jokes would be made at me because I was uncomfortable.
Comments, instructions, pointed glances, any kind of interaction people could have, they would go out of their way to make some sort of sexual implication or suggestion, and it made me uncomfortable. What they said or did might not have BOTHERED me, but the reasons behind why they would do it. It made me feel like I was being singled out for being different. I felt broken. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. etc. still ask me when I’m getting a boyfriend and they don’t seem willing to take “I’m not interested in that sort of thing” as an acceptable answer. My parents seem to gauge the success of my brothers on their girlfriends (which is shitty) and by extension make me feel like I’m failing (which is even shittier)
Only recently have I actually been able to open up to people. So much of my life has been me avoiding any sort of physical or emotional interactions with other people because I was petrified it would be taken the wrong way. Something as simple as a hug would be enough to make me freeze up.
Since I started identifying as aro/ace, I’ve been more comfortable making friends, more comfortable interacting with people, I actually hug like FIVE DIFFERENT PEOPLE NOW.
Anyway this ended up rambly but like. It’s just been really important to me?
gummygunk
stormborns
dededos
dailybridgerton
baratheonpilled
