ACE ON ACE Volume 2 Issue 3
ACE ON ACE
A monthly newsletter brought to you by Ace Los Angeles
Vol. 2, Issue 3
Hello Aces, Aros, and Accomplices!
Welcome back to Ace Los Angeles’s monthly newsletter. Happy Pride Month! To make up for my frequent disappearances I’ve tried to give you extra content this time. Because I wanted to get this issues out as soon as possible this month, the tone might be a bit dry, however I hope you still enjoy it and continue to come back and read our newsletter.
Until next time -V
June is Queer (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month
June 5th is Aromantic Visibility Day
June 12 is Pulse Night of Remembrance
June 16th is Genderfluid Visibility Day
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.
This month instead of a General Meet Up Ace LA will be attending LA Pride Parade on June 9th at 11am. Please Join Us!
Ace LA’s Business meetings are online, the first Wednesday of every month. 7:00pm - Business Meeting The next meeting is on June 5th.
All meetings are open and we hope to see you there!
Our Ears Are Burning!
This section is where we link you to articles and studies on asexuality and aromantisim.
To kick us off, this pride month, Autostraddle reminds us of the importance of Pride as a protest, not just as its roots but ongoing in the face of oppression and violence.
May 17th marks International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, Yasmin Benoit discusses Acephobia, and the context for it’s continued exclusion.
A short news report from India’s News9 on the increase in “friendship marriages” in Japan, and some of the reasons behind it’s popularity.
Nepali asexuals discuss the challenges of community building and erasure in queer spaces.
I wanted to use this space to also highlight an increase in mainstream acephobia, From a recent NYT article on sexless marriage, which manages to completely avoid any mention of asexuality, to Sex Historian Kate Lister’s commentary soundly rejecting satisfaction in sexless relationships, although she does manage to mention ace people if only yo dismiss us entirely from relevance in the conversation. But perhaps most notable has been the recent dismissal and “slander” of protesters by labeling them as sex-deprived and unfuckable. All of these speak to a nasty side effect of growing awareness on asexuality and ace issues, being drawn into the manufactured culture wars. It’s important to remember in the context of queerphobia, that conservatives are not more accepting of asexuality than other forms of queerness, and we are increasingly becoming targets.
Nature Reviews Urology recently featured a brief article on asexuality, including recommendations for healthcare professionals, by asexual scientists Sarah Cosgrove and Stella Schneckenburger.
A newly published study on aromanticism is available to read online : "Exploring Aromanticism Through an Online Qualitative Investigation With the Aromantic Community: “Freeing, Alienating, and Utterly Fantastic”
ACT UP NY engaged in an action protesting the GLAAD Media Awards as part of their ongoing campaign to pressure GLAAD to end it’s partnership with ADL, a zionist organization.
Tell Me a Story...
In this section we will spotlight an asexual or aromantic character in media and media related news.
Slow, an asexual Lithuanian film that has been making the rounds internationally at film festivals has been drawing some more attention in past few months, including a recent review by the bbc and an interview with the director by blog Public Seminar and a BBC article highlighting not only the film but the history asexual representation (or lack of) in film and television.
Following up from an earlier submission opportunity, AZE has released their issue on Deconstructing Love.
Heartbreak High, which features an asexual character, Cash, released its second season. qplus magazine and cinemablend both have reviews of the season and what it means for asexual representation.
Geeksout interviewed Michael Paramo, the founder of AZE, an online journal for Ace, Aro, and Agender writers and artists, on their new book “Ending the Pursuit: Asexuality, Aromanticism, and Agender Identity”.
A review of an independent film I Am What I Am, which features an asexual protagonist, that screened in London’s Queer East Film Festival this year.
The Geekiary made a short list of asexual representation in tv in books.
In Our Own Words:
This section is where we will feature personal essays, reflections, and stories.
An article interviewing a DC-based ace and aro group during a meet-up.
Joy Breakfast, an Australian queer podcast, interviewed an asexual woman for International Asexuality Day.
Polish article interviewing a board member of an ace organization on their activism work, asexuality, etc.
An interview of the president of the Catalan Association of Asexuals about the challenges that asexuals face.
Queer Kentucky and Louisville Magazine partner to interview queer locals on their relationship to queerness and the city, Ami C discusses being an ace Chinese American.
A personal essay on self-acceptance and dating while ace and aro.
Anthothy Padilla’s youtube channel did an episode of Assumptions talking to 3 asexual men.
Asexual Writer Khadijah Queen reflects on disability and intimacy.
The More You Know
In this section we will provide links to articles and resources designed to educate and inform on asexuality and aromanticism.
Every Body Curious, a Toronto based inclusive sex ed web series aimed toward young adults, explores asexuality and other label definitions in an recent episode.
Researcher Canton Winer had 2 recent twittwer threads on asxuality, one discussing sexual fluidity and the born this way narrative and the other asexuality, queerness, and oppression.
Fluently Aspec is a creator on youtube who makes videos on asexuality and aromanticism.
Another twitter thread on demisexuality/demiromanticism and exclusion.
gen has an article on asexuality and sex positivity, the connections and misunderstandings that are common.
And a final twitter thread on asexual education, and possibly levels on discussion from introductory to “advanced”.
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.
These surveys are still ongoing:
Towson University is looking for Asian American asexuals to discuss intersectionality and family relationships.
University of Southern Queensland is doing a study on psychedelic drug use among queer people.
AUREA (Aromantic-Spectrum Union for Recognition, Education, and Advocacy) is asking for your experiences as part of a book project on aromantisim and intersectionality.
As well as a few new ones:
USC Sant Cruz researchers are looking for participants for a study on relationships and identity.
The 2024 Ace Community Survey has been launched.
For anyone looking for creative opportunities:
AZE Journal has open submissions for asexual, aromantic, and agender writers on the topic of intimacy. Submissions can include many different kinds of written or non-written work and are open until June 15th.
June 23rd-29th is Aggressively Arospec Week an event that promotes fan content about the aromantic spectrum by aro creators.
AUREA is partnering with Dancing Queerly for an event: Aromantics Create Pride, and is seeking aro themed artistic/written works by aromantic creators. Submissions open June 8th.
WBD Pride is hosting a free online event/chat on asexulity, intersectionality, and allyship on June 28th.
And finally:
A-specs Committed to Anti-Racism has a living document Actionable Ways to Support Palestinians in Gaza on day 241 of the genocide.
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.
Language is about communication, an agreed meaning between people, it is by nature imperfect. And as long as people are using it, it will continue to evolve and change, and so will our understanding of ourselves and others . Which is just a fancy way of saying words don’t always mean the same thing, and nobody agrees 100% of the time on what they do mean. This section is an attempt to bring you concepts and words that help define our community and our experiences, and in my best attempt to accomplish that I will offer multiple different definitions from multiple sources, because I believe that the best way to understand something is describe it from multiple angles.
Our Word of the Month is Queer:
a
of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to members of one's own sex
b
of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation
c
of, relating to, or being a person whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual and/or whose gender identity is not cisgender
d
:of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity cannot be categorized as solely male or female
e
of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity differs from the sex the person was identified as having at birth (Miriam-Webster)
An umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or are not cisgender.[1][2] Originally meaning 'strange' or 'peculiar', queer came to be used pejoratively against LGBT people in the late 19th century. Beginning in the late 1980s, queer activists, such as the members of Queer Nation, began to reclaim the word as a deliberately provocative and politically radical alternative to the more assimilationist branches of the LGBT community. (Wikipedia)
A term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of romantic orientation, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It can also be a way of rejecting the perceived norms of the LGBT community (racism, sizeism, ableism etc). Although some LGBT people view the word as a slur, it was reclaimed in the late 80s by the queer community who have embraced it. (Stonewall)
A term people often use to express a spectrum of identities and orientations that are counter to the mainstream. Queer is often used as a catch-all to include many people, including those who do not identify as exclusively straight and/or folks who have non-binary or gender-expansive identities. (Human Rights Campaign)
Thought of You…
This section is just for short videos, social media posts, etc. anything too short or trivial for other sections, a little offering of enjoyment to our readers.
See these brief response here.
Aromantic and Asexual Support PH offers answers to the question “what makes a relationship healthy?”
We love to hear from you! Letters to the editor can be sent to asexalitylosangeles@gmail.com
And to keep your lovely editor from feeling unappreciated and full of melancholy, please tells us what you loved (or hated) or think we missed.