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Feb 23, 2022
It’s aromantic awareness week, and there’s no better time to become more educated on the aromantic spectrum! Aromanticism is a romantic orientation for individuals who experience little to no romantic attraction. In LGBTQIA+, the ‘A’ encompasses asexual, aromantic, agender, and other a-spectrum identities. Like sexual orientation, aromanticism is a spectrum, meaning not all aromantic folks hold the same level of aromanticism, and some identify with various subsets.
It’s important we learn more about all orientations within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum to be better allies for our community. Keep reading for some great aromantic resources to do just that!
AUREA, short for Aromantic-Spectrum Union for Recognition, Education, and Advocacy, is a volunteer coalition of aromantic advocates and educators. Their goal is to advocate for the growing aromantic community by connecting people to resources, information, and research on the aromantic spectrum. They often act as a contact point for the media to accurately represent the aromantic community. They also provide news and resources for in-person events.
The AUREA website is one of the leading comprehensive resources to learn more about aromanticism. On their website, you can find resources on various aromantic identities, in-person communities, academic research, and more! If you’re interested in giving back to the aro-spec community, they are also hosting a fundraiser for Arospec Awareness Week 2022.
Fandom’s LGBTQIA+ Wiki section has all kinds of information under the queer umbrella, including an informative section about aromanticism. They emphasize that “aromanticism is a romantic orientation and may involve forms of attraction that are not necessarily romantic, or interests in relationships that are intimate in other ways,” and that “there is no singular experience of aromanticism.”
This resource also provides an extensive history of aromanticism dating all the way back to the 17th century! It also covers queerplatonic relationships, aromantic identifiers, and aromantic literature. Fandom also has a great LGBTQIA+ resource diving into the full spectrum of aromanticism. It’s the perfect breakdown of the spectrum if you need a better understanding of aspec identities, detailing aromantic to cupioromantic orientations.
They also cover some of the common misconceptions about the aro spectrum, one being that aromantic people don’t experience love (spoiler alert– they do!). Another misconception mentioned by Fandom is that aromantic people are cold or emotionally unavailable. In reality, many aromantic people have very meaningful, emotional connections with others, just not in a romantic sense.
To gain more insight about what it’s like to be young and aromantic, Fettle has a great article interviewing two aromantic teens about just that. As a lesser-known identity, young people who are aromantic often experience confusion when coming to terms with not experiencing romantic attraction in the same way as others. It’s common for young LGBTQIA+ individuals to feel confused or isolated when coming to terms with their queerness. To better support aromantic young people and teens when discovering more about themselves, it’s important for us to be aware of their experiences.
These interviews also reveal the importance of aromantic people having a supportive community. 17-year-old aromantic teen Wynn says in the interview, “I think the aro community is really supportive because we are all in this strange experience together… Often as an aro, you feel alienated from those around you so to find others like you is amazing…we support each other because we are all going through the same thing.”
Glaad provides another helpful resource for learning more about the spectrum of aromanticism. Learning more about the A-spectrum can help people find their loving communities. This source dives into the meanings of Greyromantic, Demiromantic, Recipromantic, and more.
Greyromantic defines someone who falls in between the spectrum of being aromantic and romantic, who also may only desire romantic attraction under a few circumstances. Demiromantic is another subset of aromanticism that means an individual only feels a ‘secondary’ attraction after a relationship has evolved; typically an emotional connection occurs before romantic attraction. To learn about these subsets of aromanticism and more, check out the Glaad article.
Asexual and aromantic-spectrum author Claudie Arseneault has an amazing aromantic-literature resource on her site with tons of book recommendations that include aromantic characters. Connecting with characters in books and movies can be a moving experience that helps people make sense of their own lives and feel less alone. Everyone deserves to see representation of their communities in the media they consume, but representation of a-spectrum individuals can be harder to come across. This resource, however, has great examples of books with a-spec characters for the ace and aro communities to enjoy.
Some of Arseneault’s highly recommended books include:
Claudie Arseneault also created a comprehensive database for searching for a-spectrum characters that align with your personal identity! The AroAce Database allows you to search keywords like ‘demisexual’ and ‘grayromantic’ and genres you enjoy to find the perfect book for you.
For Aspec Awareness Week this year, there are countless things you can do to be better allies for the community, including:
HER is the app for connecting LGBTQIA+ women and queer folks– a space where all a-spectrum individuals are welcome. To find your loving and supportive community, download HER today and connect with like-minded people in your area.
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Katie is a writer and creative person based in Seattle who is passionate about the arts, environmental justice, and all things vintage fashion. She celebrates queerness as a natural yet radical state of being, and she strives to make the world a more inclusive place for all. You can find her taking meditative strolls in the rain forests of the Pacific Northwest channeling her inner Bella Swan, or just on IG @ktmarieeee.
