ACE ON ACE Volume 2 Issue 4
ACE ON ACE
A monthly newsletter brought to you by Ace Los Angeles
Vol. 2, Issue 4
Hello Aces, Aros, and Enemies!
Welcome back to Ace Los Angeles’s monthly newsletter. Happy Pride Month Still! Unfortunately we are entering a time in which asexual articles and such are starting to slow down, so this issue’s a bit shorter than I’d like. I hope there are still some things for you to enjoy here.
Until next time -V
June 28th is the Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots
June 30th is Queer Youth Day
July is Disability Pride Month
July is also (colloquially called) Gay Wrath Month
July 8th-14th is Nonbinary Awareness Week
July 11th is Two Spirit Awareness Day
July 14th is International Nonbinary People’s Day
July 16th is Drag 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.
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 14th on zoom.
Ace LA’s Business meetings are online, the first Wednesday of every month. 7:00pm - Business Meeting The next meeting is on July 3rd.
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.
As Pride month draws to a close, trans writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle, puts forth a tongue in cheek call for worse more incomprehensible discourse.
The University of California has an article on the affect of the internet on queerness, the access Gen Z has to information and community, including asexuality.
Canton Winer has a new paper, Understanding Asexuality: A sociological review, which examines methodology, existing works, theories, intersections, and calls for more asexual voices and perspectives as the field grows and expands. The abstract and link to request the full paper can be found here.
Seasons 2 of Peacock’s queer interviewed based show It’s Ok to Ask Questions, features Cody Daigle-Orians, where he talks about asexuality, his relationships, and becoming a online educator.
For the first time Scotland’s national census collects data on sexual orientation.
Tell Me a Story...
In this section we will spotlight an asexual or aromantic character in media and media related news.
The Ace Couple interviews aroace Chinese writer and translator Yilin Wang, for their podcast, on poetry, translating, queerness, and her new book: The Lantern and the Nigh Moths.
The Gamer asks for more asexual representation in video games and more aspects of intimacy in romance arcs.
Buzzfeed has a list of 24 celebrities on the ace/aro spectrum.
Two ace writers discuss the asexual potential and framework of Fraggle Rock, what drew them to the work, and the possibilities an ace reading invites.
A Spotlight on the 2024 Best Anthology Finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards, which include Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection. (Since this article was published the official winners have been announced, Being Ace was not selected).
In Our Own Words:
This section is where we will feature personal essays, reflections, and stories.
Cody Daigle-Orians aka Ace Dad Advice, writes on his substack about discovering his asexuality and being an ace elder.
wtopnews, as part of a pride month series on queer communities in the DC area, spoke to aromantics trying to navigate the dating scene.
A personal essay on demisexuality, growing up, dating, and self-acceptance.
Allo and Ace is a recently launched podcast the looks at dynamics in relationships between asexual and allosexual people.
A personal essay on self-acceptance and dating while ace and aro.
An asexual woman reflects on her personal journey, the cost of being closeted or denied an identity and the benefits in embracing it.
The More You Know
In this section we will provide links to articles and resources designed to educate and inform on asexuality and aromanticism.
Cosmopolitan offers an introduction to Queer Platonic Relationships. Although they do acknowledge the aromantic origins of QPR’s, it feels very downplayed in the article, and none of the people they interviewed appear to be either aromantic or asexual.
youtuber mushbloom talks being aromantic asexual as well as the challenges of living those identities both in larger society and as part of the queer community. She covers a lot of elements, I wanted to note that while understandable, she offers a fairly limited and ultimately conservative view on porn. (Something I know has a complicated status in our community)
Asexual twitter user elle rose, writes about demisexuality and how common misconceptions about it can develop.
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.
USC Sant Cruz researchers are looking for participants for a study on relationships and identity.
The 2024 Ace Community Survey is asking for both ace and allo participants to answer their survey.
For anyone looking for creative opportunities:
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 close June 30th.
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 265 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 Sex Repulsed/Averse:
A personal aversion towards engaging in sexual activity. Someone who is sex repulsed is not necessarily sex negative (Oxford University LGBTQ+ Society)
A sex stance that describes an individual who is repulsed by the act or concept of sexual interaction. The term is commonly used by asexual spectrum individuals, but is not exclusive to this community or sexuality. Sex-repulsed individuals may find sexual activity undesireable, uninteresting, uncomfortable, or generally unwanted.(LGBTQIA+ Wiki)
A distressed or visceral reaction to the thought of having sex, not willing to compromise (note that the term used may depend on the subjective degree of the reaction) (AVEN)
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.
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.