Five Ways To Celebrate Asexuality Day
Image: Pexels via Katie Rainbow
It’s Asexuality Day this weekend – here are 5 ways to celebrate the asexual people your life.
Asexual and Aromantic people often get the short end of the LGBTQIA+ – if they’re even included at all. Fortunately, this is quickly changing thanks to the work of asexuality campaigners and allies.
Asexuality groups worldwide have coordinated to make April 6th a day to advocate for greater awareness and inclusion of asexual identities, celebrate ace perspectives, educate the wider community about asexuality, and provide the opportunity to show solidarity with this often overlooked shade of the rainbow spectrum.
Here are a few small ways you can show some love to the ace people in your life this weekend:
1. Take them on a mate date
Have you only ever hoisted a picnic basket up a hill or poured coins into a photobooth to woo a potential paramour? Make the ace person in your life feel special by taking them out on a platonic date. While many ace people go on plenty of dates, others miss out on this social ritual. Have a cute time with your ace friend to let them know they are a priority to you.
2. Begin conversations about relationship hierarchies
Long-term romantic and sexual partnerships are often seen as the epitome of human connection and a significant personal achievement. Much social infrastructure is designed for couples rather than single people or people with wider networks of care. Ace people can feel devalued when friends favour new lovers over old companions or are marginalised in conversations about family. Question these hierarchies in your own life as well as more formal settings, and argue for platonic partnerships and friendships to be afforded the same recognition as sexual or familial relationships.
3. Include ace perspectives in queer events and organisations
When planning your queer event, make sure you include the ideas and needs of ace people. Asexuality is as queer as any other sexual orientation. If sexual in nature, has enough information been given ahead of time? If oriented towards couples, can two friends also participate? What kinship structures do your policies presume?
4. Read, listen to or watch ace media
Ace people have a unique viewpoint on attraction, desire, and the way our societies organise and characterise relationships. Educate yourself on asexuality, support ace creators, or broaden your perspective on the possible ways humans can relate to each other by checking out some asexual media. On Youtube, Ace Dad Advice, Fluently Aspec and David J Bradley explore the nuances of ace life, while Rowan Ellis explores queer representation in media. Podcast listeners can tune in to AOK or Sounds Fake But Okay, while readers can browse their libraries or bookshops for Angela Chen’s Ace or Julie Sondra Decker’s The Invisible Orientation for a deeper dive into personal stories. If you are a gamer, pick up DnD’s Uncaged Anthology, browse games from itch.io’s previous Ace Jam game jams, or choose Parvati as your NPC companion in The Outer Worlds.
5. Wear the Ace colours
If you are out and about, show your support for Asexuality Day by working the ace flag colours into your wardrobe. White, black, grey and purple is your palettes for asexual, demisexual or grey-a pride, and white, black, grey and green for aromantic, demiromantic, or grayromantic pride.
6. Promote Asexuality Day
If your workplace, school, or community group celebrates other LGBTQIA+ days, advocate for adding Asexuality Day to their social calendar. As the inaugural year of Asexuality Day, this is a perfect opportunity to solidify your organisation’s support for ace people and work towards a world where ace identities are celebrated as much as any other orientation.
