ACE ON ACE Volume 1 Issue 3
ACE ON ACE
A monthly newsletter brought to you by Ace Los Angeles
Vol. 1, Issue 3
Welcome to Ace Los Angeles monthly newsletter! We hope to use this space to keep our followers informed on ace topics in news media and academic journals, spotlight asexual representation, boost projects asking for ace participation, and educate on asexual and aromantic terms.
As of June 2023, Ace LA will alternate between outdoor in-person (weather permitting) and virtual meetups. For in-person meetups and volunteering, you will be asked to mask unless eating or drinking and will be required to sign a waiver stating you understand the risk of exposure, and that you absolve Ace Los Angeles of any liability. Masks are available on request.
Ace LA has social meetings the second Sunday of every month.
1:30pm - New Member Meeting
2pm - General Meeting The next meeting is on July 9th on zoom.
Ace LA’s Business meetings are online, the first Monday of every month. 7:00pm - Business Meeting The next meeting is on July 3rd.
All meetings are open.
Our Ears Are Burning!
This section is where we link you to articles and studies on asexuality and aromantisim.
I'm asexual but I want to have sex at least once - an advice columnist cautions listening to your body’s nos and the importance of communication for asexual advice-seeker.
Yasmin Benoit is NYC Pride's first asexual grand marshal - Yasmin Benoit talks asexuality, activism, discrimination, and more with LGBTQ Nation.
Asexual and Aromantic People Are Often Forgotten, But God Sees Us - an essay on the joys and challenges of being acearo and Christian.
Eye-tracking study on attention to erotic stimuli - a recent study published in the journal of sex research compared the differences between heterosexual and asexual attention to erotic and non-erotic images.
Sherronda J. Brown: Scalawag's first Editor-In-Chief - Scalawag, a Southern, Black-led and center independent journalism organization, welcomes asexual writer Sherronda J. Brown, as editor-in-chief.
Underrepresented voices: Stories from the 'plus' in the LGBTQIA+ community - website Rappler talks to young queer people in the Philippines.
Tell Me a Story...
In this section we will spotlight an asexual or aromantic character in media.
Jay is a secondary character in the second season of the comedy series State of the Union. The season, which aired on SundanceTV in early 2022, follows two older married adults as they spend time in a coffee shop before their marriage counseling sessions. The Black non-binary asexual character, played by Esco Jouley, serves as a counter-point to the reductive and old-fashioned views of the main characters. Jay is the first Black and first non-binary asexual character on television.
Heartstopper's Alice Oseman on asexuality, young fame, and surviving social media - Alice Oseman’s feature interview for HELLO!’s 2023 pride issue.
Television desperately needs an open conversation on asexuality - an article exploring the lack of progress on asexual representation and conversations on sexual attraction on television.
Asexual Authors Discuss Why They Write - Bookstr talks to 5 asexual writers.
For those looking for reading recommendations A-spectacular Life blog as a list of Asexual Non-fiction books and twitter user @darlingmanila posted a thread of 63 fiction books with ace and aro spectrum characters.
The More You Know
In this section we will provide links to articles and resources designed to educate and inform on asexuality and aromanticism.
Am I Aromantic? - an article discussing what aromanticism is and how to figure if that might be you.
Labelling Gender, Sexual, and Romantic Minorities - an exploration on the uses and challenges of labeling indentities.
Tra(ace)y- Asexual Education - this youtube channel features an interview series of multiple asexual people on a variety of asexual topics.
We Want You!
This section is for informing you of requests for participation of aces and aros by other organizations, including studies, surveys, archive efforts, media projects, interviews, and policy / community feedback.
Ace/Aro Podcast - independent twitter users are indefinitely seeking asexual and aromantic people to appear on a livestream, which has posted 4 episode of ace/aro discussions so far.
Asexual Intimacies - researchers at CSU San Bernardino are seeking asexual and/or aromantic participants for a study on familial and relationship experiences.
Ace Los Angeles is inviting members to march with us in the Long Beach Pride Parade on August 6th. Reach out if you are interested!
What’s the Word?
This last section is dedicated to featuring the definition of a word or phrase to encourage broader understanding and discussion of asexual and aromantic topics.
Our Word of the Month is Split Attraction Model (SAM):
separates sexual attraction or desire from romantic attraction or desire, to express their orientation, and to make it clear what relationship(s) they may be looking for. Like with sexual orientations, romantic orientations are most often expressed in what gender the person is romantically attracted to in relation to their own. (The Asexual Visibility and Education Network)
is a model in psychology that distinguishes between a person's romantic and sexual attraction allowing that the two can be different from each other. (Wikipedia)
sexual attraction and romantic attraction are separate feelings that may or may not align. (Human Rights Campaign)
Some aromantics use the SAM to make a distinction between experiences of attraction depending on certain characteristics, conceptualizing them as different types of attraction. A person who uses the SAM to describe themselves may experience different types of attraction as distinctive and decide to label the attractions separately. (Aromantic-Spectrum Union for Recognition, Education, and Advocacy)
We love to hear from you! Letters to the editor can be sent to asexalitylosangeles@gmail.com