Read on Twitter
RT-ing this in case anyone missed it earlier - would love to hear from any other aces!
If you're wondering why I tweeted this and some of the reasons why I talk about ace things in general, read on... [CW: aphobia] (1/?) https://twitter.com/Sarah_Cosgriff/status/1349343683280310274
If you're wondering why I tweeted this and some of the reasons why I talk about ace things in general, read on... [CW: aphobia] (1/?) https://twitter.com/Sarah_Cosgriff/status/1349343683280310274
It took me to the age of 31 to realise that I'm ace. The first time I heard about asexuality was approximately 4-5 years ago, and even then I didn't fully understand/relate to what I came across. I honestly wish I knew about it earlier and I know others feel the same. (2/?)
On top of this, there is a lack of awareness of the experiences of ace-spec people in general. Daniel did a good job of highlighting aphobia in a video he released over the weekend - he goes into what it looks like and where it comes from (3/?) https://twitter.com/SliceOfAce/status/1347819295091392513
In this video, Daniel mentions healthcare and conversion therapy. In a LGBT+ survey in 2017, they found that when looking at cisgender respondents, asexual people are most likely to be offered conversion therapy: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/721704/LGBT-survey-research-report.pdf (4/?)
In the same report, it also highlights experiences in the workplace. Here are two graphs: one summarises cisgender respondents and another summarising transgender respondents. In both cases, asexual people are least likely to be out in the workplace (5/?)
This is not a surprise to me - asexuality is an invisible orientation and you can feel like you're misunderstood and/or taken seriously. I have had an experience of describing what it meant to colleagues who didn't know me very well, and it felt a bit uncomfortable. (6/?)
What the graph focusing on trans respondents also highlights is that there are people who could be another LGBTQIA+ identity -and- asexual, but you may not realise it. Just because someone is out as one identity doesn't necessarily mean that they are out as ace. (7/?)
And on top of this - aces feel excluded from LGBTQ+ spaces. See this thread. (8/?) https://twitter.com/AceGentle/status/1348837582826860546
I hope you find this and other things I tweet helpful. Part of me is wary about talking about this a lot - but part of me is also wanting to because of everything I have talked about here.
DMs are open for questions & chats - and if you get in touch, please be respectful. (9/9)
DMs are open for questions & chats - and if you get in touch, please be respectful. (9/9)
