June 30th Aromantic Pride Month

2 0 0
                                    

Aromantic (often shortened to aro) is a romantic orientation defined by a lack of romantic attraction. Romantic attraction is often defined as the desire to be in a romantic relationship and/or do romantic acts with a specific individual. For non-aromantic (alloromantic) individuals, romantic attraction is involuntary and even occurs when someone doesn't know the other individual (though one might not act on it). Aromantic individuals do not have an innate desire to be in a romantic relationship with specific individuals. They might also feel disconnected from the idea of romance.

A common misconception is that all aromantics lack emotions, lack the ability to form social connections, and are "loveless". In reality, many aros are capable of feeling love- platonic love such as that between a mother and child or best friends. Aromantics can also meet their emotional needs through queer-platonic relationships, or other non-romantic relationships. Some aromantics get platonic crushes or "squishes", also known as platonic attraction. On the other hand, some aromantics may not experience platonic love or attraction and may identify as aplationic. Others may not desire partners of any kind, and may identify as nonamorus. Some aromantics embrace the loveless label and reject the idea that love is necessary for happiness.

Being aromantic does not mean that one is unable to experience sexual attraction. An aromantic individual can have any sexual orientation. They may identify with a sexual orientation in addition to the label of aromantic to specify who they're interested in sexually, if anyone. For example, a heterosexual aromantic individual is sexually attracted to individuals of a different gender but is not romantically attracted to them. Some aromantics are also asexual(aroace), meaning they do not feel sexual attraction as well. Not all aromantics identify with a sexual orientation, some identify primarily or only as aromantic (non--SAM aro/aro neu). Some aromantic individuals may additionally experience tertiary attractions, which are attractions outside of sexual and romantic, and may use specific labels to describe this attraction. Examples of tertiary attractions include aesthetic, platonic, and sensual attraction.

Romantic dispositions among aromantic individuals can vary. Some aromantics may still have or seek or a romantic relationship despite not feeling romantic attraction to anyone (cupioromantic). Other aromantics may be repulsed by the concept of romance, either as a concept applicable to themselves or in general. Terms like romance-repulsed,romance-indifferent,romance-favorable, or romance-ambivalent are commonly used to describe these feelings.

Due to the ambiguous nature of romantic attraction, it can sometimes be difficult to identify when one is aromantic. Romantic attraction is sometimes defined by the actions that one takes during a relationship, such as holding hands, kissing, or cuddling. However, none of these activities alone necessarily indicate romantic attraction. These actively are only considered romantic if one personally considers them romantic in nature and does them with romantic intent. An aromantic individual might enjoy some or all of these activities in non-romantic contexts, but does not like them in a romantic context. Because of this some queerplatonic relationships or close friendships can sometimes resemble or be mistaken for a romantic relationship; with the difference being that in a queerplatonic relationship the participants agree that it is non-romantic, and in a romantic relationship, the participants agree that it is romantic in nature. Therefore, the nature of a relationship is best defined by the intentions of the participants. If one or any partners feels romantic attraction and all partners agree to a romantic context, then the relationship is considered romantic.

Word Count: 572

-Lemon-Chan

LGBTQ+ Guide And QuestionsWo Geschichten leben. Entdecke jetzt