By Daniella Razzouk | Staff Writer
In the past few years, there has been a boom in both the quality and quantity of queer representation in mainstream media. While nowhere near perfect, there has been a noticeable amount of improvement and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon.
However, seeing as marginalized identities are being represented for the first time, there are many who know nothing about them and find it difficult to ask for more information about these identites. That being said, let’s go through and briefly explain some of the most underrepresented parts of the LGBTQ+ community, the As.
Before we start, let’s make things clear: the “A” does not stand for “ally”. Allies are, by definition, those who support the LGBTQ+ community without being a part of it.
The A encompasses three identities:
- Asexuality: asexual individuals do not experience sexual attraction to any sex or gender. Asexuals may still experience romantic attraction, or the desire to form emotional/long-term bonds with another. They won’t, however, experience sexual attraction. Having said that, some asexual people do have sex, for a variety of reasons. Asexuality exists on a spectrum, going from sex-repulsed to sex-disinterested to sex-favorable. Asexual characters you may have heard of include Florence from the TV show Sex Education or Jughead in the original Archie Comics.
- Aromanticism: aromantic individuals do not experience romantic attraction to any sex or gender. They may still experience sexual attraction and do experience feelings of love for others, just not romantic ones. Characters you may know are Yelena Bulova in the original Marvel Comics and Peridot from Steven Universe.
It is important to note that sexual attraction and romantic attraction are two very different things, and one’s romantic orientation and sexual orientation may not always match up. People can be both asexual and aromantic (commonly known as acearo) or asexual and heteroromantic or homosexual and aromantic etc.
- Agender: this is a gender identity that falls under the umbrella of non-binary and simply means someone who does not have a gender. Like all non-binary people, they may present in different ways (masculine/feminine/androgynous) or use a variety of pronouns, as these are different forms of gender expression, but they do not feel any connection to a specific gender. An agender character you may know is Janet from The Good Place.
These are three identities that the “A” encompasses. While this may be confusing or overwhelming to some who do not know much on the topic, just remember that it is okay to be a bit lost at first, as long as you are putting in the effort to learn about new things. What matters most is that you remain respectful, polite, and aware of the individual’s privacy. Everything else comes after.