I find it very interesting how people will treat discussions around being aroallo spectrum. Personally, I'm demiromantic and allosexual, and recently I mentioned this in passing to someone who is queer, and clearly knows what all of these labels mean, and all of a sudden the sort of atmosphere flicked. "Oh, so you can experience sexual attraction without romantic?" Yes. Yes that's exactly what that means. And I know this person was aware of that as an idea, and understood what each label in this conversation meant. But faced with someone who can experience sexual attraction and desires completely separately from romantic attraction, there's almost this appalled attitude. You didn't really mean that did you? That just can't be correct! It's why I am so proud of being aroallo, even though it impacts me very little in a committed relationship. My sexual attraction is not something that is gross when it exists on its own. It can be just as loving and just as fond as any other part of my attraction, its not the dirty part of it. Even though this person meant nothing negative by their immediate surprised reaction, and need for me to repeat again what my sexuality was when I know they would understand what that means. It really shows how shocking it is considered when someone places some sort of priority on sexual attraction- even if that priority is just that it can exist without romantic attraction.
