oftentimes i feel other in aspec spaces bc the majority is white and it seems many of them are still in the process of coming to terms with being dehumanized for an immutable characteristic (at least that's my guess), meanwhile i'm black so i've been-there-and-done-that so my feelings on being aspec are the exact opposite and have been for a long time since i've reclaimed the dehumanization placed on my various identities - so when i discovered aromanticism at 14 i was far from sad about it, ecstatic even, which led me to enter aspec spaces with the (admittedly naive) expectation that most ppl would share my enthusiasm. ofc we know that wasn't the vibe of the community in 2017 and it still isn't now... as a consequence of the whiplash i was confused. overtime that confusion turned to resentment towards the community, as the the widely negative outlook made me feel doubly ostracized, first by allos and then again by aspecs. thankfully I've grown out of that mindset. ngl tho, the feeling of being doubly isolated still persists 😔