"Basically, we live in an era - or we're living through the tail end of an era - when words mean whatever we want them to mean, people are allowed to use whatever words they like or invent new ones, no one is ever bullshitting themselves or anyone else, and only gatekeepers get gatekept. All that said, AROACE, it's highly unlikely your lab partner brought up his Aro/Ace status unprompted."
"I have a crush on this one guy, but he brought up - unprompted - that he's Aro/Ace. I really like him. We have great conversations in a lab we have together, and I think he's super attractive. But every time I've tried to extend our friendship outside of the lab by suggesting we study together or go see a movie we both want to see, he seems closed off to the idea."
A student has a crush on a lab partner who identified as Aro/Ace and who seems reluctant to extend contact beyond lab interactions. Aromantic people may not experience romantic attraction; some still desire partnerships or simulate romance, while others do not. Asexual people may not experience sexual attraction but can have varied relationships to sex. The asexual and aromantic spectra cover a wide range of experiences, from sex-repulsed to sexually active without attraction. Contemporary label usage is fluid, and an Aro/Ace disclosure is likely a meaningful signal rather than random small talk.
Read at Portland Mercury
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