You Are Not Missing Any Part Of You. You Are A Complete, Whole Person. Wether You Want Romantic Love

Me: I'm an asexual. I don't like the idea of sex.

Person: okay but...

Me: hoe don't do it....

Persona: ...how do you know if you've never tried it?

Me: oOh mY gO D

treat yourself like you would treat your favorite character

10 Authors Discuss Asexuality, Immigration, and More on December's YA Open Mic

YA Open Mic is a monthly series in which YA authors share personal stories on topics of their choice. The aim of the series, above all, is to peel away the formality of bios and offer authors a platform to talk about something readers wouldn't necessarily find on their websites. Check out pre

Erica Cameron, author of Deadly Sweet Lies

I am asexual. It’s a fact of my life now, but it’s one I didn’t discover until I was 29 and trying to recover from an emotionally abusive and manipulative marriage.

I grew up in a liberal, diverse city in South Florida and the available spectrum of sexual orientations was always pretty clear: gay, bisexual, or straight. I could be attracted to anyone of any gender, and that was okay—it was something I knew both in theory and from watching my childhood best friend try to figure out her own sexuality as we grew up.

No one ever mentioned that being attracted to no one was an acceptable option.

Parents, teachers, and even friends told me over the years not to look for too much external validation. Or, at least to avoid letting that validation impact my self-worth. Sometimes, though, something has to be verified, labeled, and categorized by someone who isn’t in my head for my experiences and emotions to feel real and acceptable. That is especially true when the word I was looking for to describe myself didn’t exist in my vocabulary. Not outside the context of the short section in my freshman biology class about the asexual reproduction of amoebas, anyway.

It’s why I vacillate between the urge to laugh and cry when someone questions the need for diversity in books. I was a voracious reader as a child. How different would my life have been if I’d known at 9 or 19 what I discovered at 29 about the sexual identity spectrum? I won’t ever know the answer to that question, but I will try my hardest to be the voice that tells teen readers what I never heard. What I would absolutely love is for my asexual spectrum characters to provide the “Oh my god, that sounds like me” moment for at least one person. Not going to lie; it’s kind of a life goal.

Click here to read the rest of the stories

Reblog if you think gay trans boys are valid

I drew a Rabbitsaurus Rex! His name his Rolly!

Since it seems to be the cool hip thing for allos to hate aros and/or aces and exclude them from the community we belong in, I just want you to know that when you say we “haven’t suffered enough”, you’re telling all asexuals that have faced “corrective” rape that they haven’t suffered

You’re telling that to all asexuals who are told every fucking day that they’ll change their mind someday

You’re telling that to every aromantic kid who had panic attacks when faced with romantic situation and thought it was something that everyone felt because our problems are never spoken of

You’re telling that to every aromantic that grows up in an amatonormatic culture and can’t relate to a bit of it

You’re telling that to every asexual or aromantic who thinks they’re broken and need to be fixed for something that they can’t help

You’re telling that to every asexual or aromantic that doesn’t even realize that their orientation exists because people talk about straight, gay, bi, anything, but theirs doesn’t even exist to others

You’re telling that to every asexual who is called childish and innocent just because of their sexuality

You’re telling that to every aromantic who is called a robot and heartless and cold

You’re telling that to every aroace who watches people cheer when a same-gender couple is in the media and is thinking “well, where am I? When do I get representation?”

You’re telling that to every aroace who only gets representation in robots and villians

You’re telling that to every aromantic or asexual who tries to headcanon a character to fit them that is shot down by people of every sexuality because look! That character looked at someone else once! They can’t possible be like you, you. can’t. have. them.

You’re telling that to every aromantic or asexual who tries to stick up for themselves and is shot down with laughter

You’re telling that to every asexual whose parents don’t believe them, whose friends don’t believe them, to every ace that has no one and tries to find some support in the LGBT+ community and are immediately laughed at and kicked out

You’re telling that to me, and every other person in the aromantic or asexual community full of anxiety and self doubt that wants to cry and throw up at every arophobic or acephobic post they see

Just think about that next time. Okay? Please.