Written by: Aayotrie Chaudhary - 27019, Grade VIII
Posted on: 07 June, 2022
On the occasion of Pride Month let me talk about Aroace Spectrum. The aroace spectrum is a combination of two other spectrums in the LGBT+ community, acesexual and aromantic. The aroace flag is made up of the colors orange, yellow, white, light blue and then darker blue in the order from orange at the top to dark blue on the bottom of the flag. A simple definition of aroace is little to no romance, this being said it can be quite annoying for many aroace people, around family members, family friends and just plain society.
The reason for this is that in our society many people think and want kids to grow up, get married to the opposite gender and have children. This is not the life many people (including many of the LGBT members) want, and it's not just LGBT members and / or aroace people, but instead many other people whether they're straight, gay, bi, black, white etc. The point is we shouldn't let our society or what is considered normal get in the way of what we want.
Now back to speaking about aroace and the aroace spectrum, you might be wondering what is a spectrum? Well the term spectrum in a way I would describe it is how aroace you are to how much you aren't aroace. For spectrums it is like a line between the two (on one end being fully aroace and the other end being not aroace at all) you can be anywhere in that line, for example, people who identify as aroace, acesexual or aromatic are a bit closer to the fully aroace end while other people maybe who identify as pansexual (liking non-binaries, females and males) are a bit further away from the fully aroace end of the spectrum.
Next, I am now going to write about the problems or annoyances while being an aroace person. While being an aroace person even while or after telling people about it people might still talk about how when you grow up that you'll get married and that can be quite frustrating. Another thing is that many people treat you with pity as if you are lonely and will be lonely for the rest of your life completely disregarding the fact that platonic partners and relationships exist. Many people will even try to convince you that it's "just a phase" and "I always said that I wouldn't marry too as a child" and because of those it can be sometimes frustrating and annoying for many aroace people like us, not to mention people also disregard our community just because they haven't heard of it.
Another topic I will also briefly discuss is platonic relationships. Platonic relationships are also commonly known as friends which almost all humans can appreciate, however for aroace, acesexual and aromantic people platonic relationships can be more than just friends instead they can be life partners without all the romance. Platonic partners are closer than friends, after all platonic partners for life live with you and take care of you like other partners to other people though without all the romance. From my personal experience I had always wanted one of these instead of a husband when I was a child.
The final topic I will write about is a very personal topic that other aroaces may or may not relate to. I want to talk about specifically what makes me comfortable and uncomfortable. Let's start with hugs. Hugs are definitely comfortable for me, especially with close friends, however the kiss on the cheek thing can make me quite uncomfortable even if it is a regularly used greeting in some countries. I also am uncomfortable if people try to invade my personal space and if I accidentally get touched by other people but honestly don't we all? I also am one of the people that really do not like to date or have any romantic relationships. Now, these are all specifically related to me and it can really depend on the person you ask so make sure to ask any person if you're making them uncomfortable in any way.
