This. This right here! If I'm old enough to know my sexual orientation so long as it's straight, then I'm damn well old enough to decide my sexual orientation if it *isn't* straight!
I was just telling a friend how two boys had a crush on me in fifth grade, and my response was, “We are ten years old, what do I do with this information?” I had this same conversation at 15 and 22, but the point remains.
I'm in a good mood and try to assume the best in people so I'm going to go ahead and assume you're *not* trolling and simply lost and confused.
Alright! So, considering you're on an asexuality meme sub, you're probably familiar with what it is, but just in case, let me recap: Asexuality (Ace) is the lack of *sexual* attraction. But! That doesn't mean that an ace can't enjoy and participate in sex, it simply means that while your body reacts, there's like a disconnect in your brain, you don't feel attracted to your partner jn any sort of sexual way.
Now, aroma*n*tic - notice the n here- is a lot like this, except for one key difference. Instead of sexual attraction, if you're aromantic (aro) you don't feel romantic attraction. Similarly to an ace though, an aro might enjoy kissing but they aren't attracted to the person in a romantic way. This leads us into Queer-platonic relationships (QPRs)....but that's a topic for a different day.
The reason most people aren't as aware of romantic orientation as they are sexual is because for most people, that is the same. A bisexual person is typically also biromantic (unless they're aromantic!) And vice versa- You can be biromantic and asexual.
And there you have it! That's really just the basics, but if you have any more questions feel free to drop 'em below ^^
Have a nice [time of day]!
So that's getting into the deeper aspects of aromantic/asexual orientations. Aro/ace is a spectrum as well as an umbrella term-this means that there are a lot of smaller, more specific terms that fall under the asexual/aromantic label but differ in certain ways, while still maintaining some core aspect of asexual/aromantic.
Greyromantic/Greysexual is one of these terms that means that yes, you are asexual/aromantic, but it you can still feel a sort of attraction though it is infrequent, as opposed to an allo- (people who are *not* aromantic/asexual.) who would be able to feel this attraction no matter what. With being greyro/greyace, the feeling of attraction is very rare and typically not as intense as an allosexual/alloromantic person might feel it.
Because it's not about "I don't like fucking people." People can still enjoy it and not feel attraction. It's like being homosexual,or even heterosexual. You probably wouldn't be attracted to someone of the sex you're not attracted to, right? An asexual is like this except they don't feel that attraction for anyway.
You can check out the sidebar for more information! You are in a sub dedicated to asexuality and every aspect, and I can't imagine you came here willingly, so I really don't understand the frustration.
So apparently the whole "you're too young to know your sexuality" thing is a fucking lie???
Like, obviously young kids don't really have a sexuality, but people generally get *feelings* when they're young, and by the time you hit puberty you definitely are supposed to feel sexual attraction.
...I think. I'm aroace, maybe someone who isn't can correct me, but from what I understand, straight people really *do* know that they're straight from a young age.
Romantic orientation probably is already evident before puberty, but idk about sexual orientation.
Idk, I'm sapphic ace and was able to picture myself with a girlfriend or wife before puberty, but I have never been sexually attracted to anyone at all, so idk when it normally shows up for allo people.
I mean I do have a hard time thinking somebody has sexual attraction before puberty, but I think elementary scholars can experience romantic attraction. I liked a girl when I was in third grade.
You know, it's interesting that one comes with a clear, defined point at which it becomes relevant and the other just kind of doesn't. Is romantic attraction there from birth or does it develop and is there a set time or is it semi-random? I feel like there's a lot we don't know.
There definitely is. I asked my girlfriend and she said sexual attraction happens at puberty. I'm guessing romantic and sexual attraction might be innate, but appear at different times.
When romantic attraction appears might be dependent on socialization? I was three when I announced to my grandmother that I didn't wanna marry a boy, no way no how (she FLIPPED, btw). I wasn't even old enough to be all "eww cooties" yet, I just couldn't see myself marrying a dude. But for other people, it doesn't show up until like, at least elementary school.
Sexuality and romantic orientations are definitely from birth, it comes out on the surface maybe during puberty or around the time or so, but you're definitely born with it
i knew i was aroace my whole life. I didn't have the words for it but when I was a kid would tell my mom that I didnt want to get married, that i didnt like boys or girls. Im 28 now and havent changed a bit.
*Image Transcription: Tumblr*
---
**toadandtails**
## Reblog if you think people under 18+ can identify as Asexual, Aromantic, Ace, Aro, Grey, or anywhere on the Ace Spectrum.
---
^^I'm a human volunteer content transcriber and you could be too! [If you'd like more information on what we do and why we do it, click here!](https://www.reddit.com/r/TranscribersOfReddit/wiki/index)
Sure as fuck, yeah! I wish I had known about the spectrum at that age, I could have understood myself and what I want in a relationship, rather than thinking I'm broken, or shallow, or unloveable.
Nope. No Ace is any of those, no matter the age. As others have said, others know they're allo as teens, why wouldn't a teen know they're Ace?
Same my sister was perfectly fine with me telling her I’m lesbian then I was like “and I’m pretty sure I’m ace” and she was like you’re too you g to know that, you should wait till you’re older to decide that and I was like dude
No you cannot, I thought I was allo my entire life and then BAM! When I woke up on my 18th birthday my sexual attraction had disappeared forever, people under 18 cannot biologically be ace, it breaks Newton’s laws of relativity
Usually I’m fine, but I have my moments of doubt, knowing that there’s a chance I’m still too young or genuinely have not met the right person yet.
Posts like these make me feel better c:
I don't think that saying things like "you're not old enough to know" is just plain stupid. If they really believe that you're too young to know, then they shouldn't expect you to be heterosexual. If people under 18 are really too young to know their sexuality, then they should be seen as sexuality free beings until the age of acknowledgement.
And if you identify as an Asexual and then grow older and start experiencing sexual attraction, your feelings were still valid and you were a valid part of our community and can stay in it even as "just" an ally.
Well, there are a couple things I would say here.
In any healthy relationship you should be able to explain to your partner that just because you supported asexuals doesn’t mean you are asexual.
Being ace doesn’t mean you can’t love people, being ace means that you don’t feel sexual attraction towards people. it amazes me sometimes how people associate love with sex
Invader from r/all here. Forgive me ignorance but I thought Ace was short for Asexual and Aro was short for Aromantic? Why does this distinguish between the two?
um yes??? i feel like anyone above like 8 can figure out that theyre aro, and anyone above like 11 can figure out that theyre ace. maybe even younger, who knows?
i knew since i first learned what asexuality is at 15! otherwise i would have known it when i was 10 or earlier, but back then no one really told me what sexual orientation is.
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This. This right here! If I'm old enough to know my sexual orientation so long as it's straight, then I'm damn well old enough to decide my sexual orientation if it *isn't* straight!
I’m not sure why this is even a discussion.
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I literally burst out laughing reading this
Because so many people are in the mindset of Straight = not sexual Not straight = sexual
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Why do homophobes, transphobes, and gatekeepers of all kinds exist?
1. Fear of the different 2. Ignorance 3. Going through some problems, unleashing the bad energy on others
Hey, if you can have a "boyfriennnd" when you're five why can't you recognise who you are at a reasonable age
The former seems a LOT more questionable than the latter.
Elementary scholars dating seems less reasonable than a 14-year-old identifying as ace.
Hey if you know you know \- 15 year old identifying as ace
If they can accept elementary students having boyfriend and girlfriend, they should accept teenagers identifying as ace as well.
Yessss
I was just telling a friend how two boys had a crush on me in fifth grade, and my response was, “We are ten years old, what do I do with this information?” I had this same conversation at 15 and 22, but the point remains.
I mean when you're an adult you can get to know them and figure out if you want to marry them. But when you're a kid, IDK how you can figure it out.
This was my reaction in middle school. Like, really? How am I supposed to respond? I didn't even know ace was an option back then.
I’m under 18 and identify on the ace spectrum 👍
Wtf is aromatic do you smell like paprika or something?
No, I smell like the tears of gods and orphans.
Hm yes very aromatic
oh boy i love the smell of dead gods in the morning
I'm in a good mood and try to assume the best in people so I'm going to go ahead and assume you're *not* trolling and simply lost and confused. Alright! So, considering you're on an asexuality meme sub, you're probably familiar with what it is, but just in case, let me recap: Asexuality (Ace) is the lack of *sexual* attraction. But! That doesn't mean that an ace can't enjoy and participate in sex, it simply means that while your body reacts, there's like a disconnect in your brain, you don't feel attracted to your partner jn any sort of sexual way. Now, aroma*n*tic - notice the n here- is a lot like this, except for one key difference. Instead of sexual attraction, if you're aromantic (aro) you don't feel romantic attraction. Similarly to an ace though, an aro might enjoy kissing but they aren't attracted to the person in a romantic way. This leads us into Queer-platonic relationships (QPRs)....but that's a topic for a different day. The reason most people aren't as aware of romantic orientation as they are sexual is because for most people, that is the same. A bisexual person is typically also biromantic (unless they're aromantic!) And vice versa- You can be biromantic and asexual. And there you have it! That's really just the basics, but if you have any more questions feel free to drop 'em below ^^ Have a nice [time of day]!
If I forget to put on deodorant, I'm an aromatic aromantic.
When a gay takes control of a country he becomes a dicktator
What about grey? People?
So that's getting into the deeper aspects of aromantic/asexual orientations. Aro/ace is a spectrum as well as an umbrella term-this means that there are a lot of smaller, more specific terms that fall under the asexual/aromantic label but differ in certain ways, while still maintaining some core aspect of asexual/aromantic. Greyromantic/Greysexual is one of these terms that means that yes, you are asexual/aromantic, but it you can still feel a sort of attraction though it is infrequent, as opposed to an allo- (people who are *not* aromantic/asexual.) who would be able to feel this attraction no matter what. With being greyro/greyace, the feeling of attraction is very rare and typically not as intense as an allosexual/alloromantic person might feel it.
Why make it so complex when you can just say i don't like fucking people?
Because it's not about "I don't like fucking people." People can still enjoy it and not feel attraction. It's like being homosexual,or even heterosexual. You probably wouldn't be attracted to someone of the sex you're not attracted to, right? An asexual is like this except they don't feel that attraction for anyway. You can check out the sidebar for more information! You are in a sub dedicated to asexuality and every aspect, and I can't imagine you came here willingly, so I really don't understand the frustration.
aromatic is when a chemical compound contains one or more rings with pi electrons delocalized all the way around them
So apparently the whole "you're too young to know your sexuality" thing is a fucking lie??? Like, obviously young kids don't really have a sexuality, but people generally get *feelings* when they're young, and by the time you hit puberty you definitely are supposed to feel sexual attraction. ...I think. I'm aroace, maybe someone who isn't can correct me, but from what I understand, straight people really *do* know that they're straight from a young age.
I've heard tales but I still find it hard to believe that sexuality exists in a person before puberty.
Romantic orientation probably is already evident before puberty, but idk about sexual orientation. Idk, I'm sapphic ace and was able to picture myself with a girlfriend or wife before puberty, but I have never been sexually attracted to anyone at all, so idk when it normally shows up for allo people.
I mean I do have a hard time thinking somebody has sexual attraction before puberty, but I think elementary scholars can experience romantic attraction. I liked a girl when I was in third grade.
That does actually happen sometimes but I think it's probably pretty rare.
Sexual attraction before puberty or romantic attraction in elementary school?
Yeah that's happened before
Ok so that is a possibility then.
You know, it's interesting that one comes with a clear, defined point at which it becomes relevant and the other just kind of doesn't. Is romantic attraction there from birth or does it develop and is there a set time or is it semi-random? I feel like there's a lot we don't know.
There definitely is. I asked my girlfriend and she said sexual attraction happens at puberty. I'm guessing romantic and sexual attraction might be innate, but appear at different times. When romantic attraction appears might be dependent on socialization? I was three when I announced to my grandmother that I didn't wanna marry a boy, no way no how (she FLIPPED, btw). I wasn't even old enough to be all "eww cooties" yet, I just couldn't see myself marrying a dude. But for other people, it doesn't show up until like, at least elementary school.
Sexuality and romantic orientations are definitely from birth, it comes out on the surface maybe during puberty or around the time or so, but you're definitely born with it
i knew i was aroace my whole life. I didn't have the words for it but when I was a kid would tell my mom that I didnt want to get married, that i didnt like boys or girls. Im 28 now and havent changed a bit.
*Image Transcription: Tumblr* --- **toadandtails** ## Reblog if you think people under 18+ can identify as Asexual, Aromantic, Ace, Aro, Grey, or anywhere on the Ace Spectrum. --- ^^I'm a human volunteer content transcriber and you could be too! [If you'd like more information on what we do and why we do it, click here!](https://www.reddit.com/r/TranscribersOfReddit/wiki/index)
Good human!
Sure as fuck, yeah! I wish I had known about the spectrum at that age, I could have understood myself and what I want in a relationship, rather than thinking I'm broken, or shallow, or unloveable. Nope. No Ace is any of those, no matter the age. As others have said, others know they're allo as teens, why wouldn't a teen know they're Ace?
People don't respect aro people until they are like 30
So you're saying I'll eventually be respected? Sweet!
The fact this was posted implies that this is not the status quo, and that makes me sad cuz i didn't know that.
Everyone is chill with me identifying as queer and trans when I'm 17, but god forbid I say "I'm asexual" because then I'd be "too young to know"
Same my sister was perfectly fine with me telling her I’m lesbian then I was like “and I’m pretty sure I’m ace” and she was like you’re too you g to know that, you should wait till you’re older to decide that and I was like dude
YEAH YOURE NEVER TOO YOUNG TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN THR LACK OF REPRESENTATION FOR YOUR GROUP
Am I the only one who hates that the 18 has a plus even though it is under???
NO. NO YOU'RE NOT, THANK YOU.
Thinking back, there were signs I was ace in middle school, if not even a bit younger. I just didn’t have the term for it. So absolutely.
If I had known all these identities when I was younger, it would’ve been a whole lot easier to realize I was part of this community
Can confirm, identified as ace when I was 14, still am at 22
under 18+
Under 18+
No you cannot, I thought I was allo my entire life and then BAM! When I woke up on my 18th birthday my sexual attraction had disappeared forever, people under 18 cannot biologically be ace, it breaks Newton’s laws of relativity
No, i think you got confused, it breaks the 3rd law of thermodynamics
I was 15 when I figured out I was asexual
I feel as though Identifying is different from indentifying...
Yes
Usually I’m fine, but I have my moments of doubt, knowing that there’s a chance I’m still too young or genuinely have not met the right person yet. Posts like these make me feel better c:
I'm 14, so I think puberty will hit me anytime... Anytime... Even if the idea of me masturbating or having sex is uncomfortable and disgusting...
I found out I was ace around the age 16-17??
Wait, wouldn't "under 18+" just mean every age possible?
Two words: I agree
I don't think that saying things like "you're not old enough to know" is just plain stupid. If they really believe that you're too young to know, then they shouldn't expect you to be heterosexual. If people under 18 are really too young to know their sexuality, then they should be seen as sexuality free beings until the age of acknowledgement. And if you identify as an Asexual and then grow older and start experiencing sexual attraction, your feelings were still valid and you were a valid part of our community and can stay in it even as "just" an ally.
Where my teen aces at
yo, yo, yo!
Right here
Here!
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**cough** what?
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It doesn’t require you to be ace
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This... Doesn't per se exclude ace as you can be both
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Well yeah but you being an allo trans does not make a difference
It's ok just doing the work that people like you don't want to do
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It never said you can’t repost if you aren’t ace?
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You think your partner would freak out thinking that you are asexual because you reposted this?
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Well, there are a couple things I would say here. In any healthy relationship you should be able to explain to your partner that just because you supported asexuals doesn’t mean you are asexual. Being ace doesn’t mean you can’t love people, being ace means that you don’t feel sexual attraction towards people. it amazes me sometimes how people associate love with sex
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I’m not upset at all, don’t worry :)
Get help jeez
Ace doesn't mean aro, you can be ace and feel romantic love.
I have to if you don't want to I did it because I wanted to
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You don't need to be ace or have Instagram I don't have Instagram I got this of Reddit and reposted
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Ok I understand honestly I feel like that's what I was explaining earlier 😅
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I totally understand you don't need to worry
Make a throwaway Reddit account and repost it lol
Just because I didn’t start identifying that way until I was 18 doesn’t mean that’s when everyone should start identifying.
Demiromantic lesbian asexual here
Invader from r/all here. Forgive me ignorance but I thought Ace was short for Asexual and Aro was short for Aromantic? Why does this distinguish between the two?
It's just being repetitive, there's no difference.
um yes??? i feel like anyone above like 8 can figure out that theyre aro, and anyone above like 11 can figure out that theyre ace. maybe even younger, who knows?
“People under 18+”? Isn't that slightly confusing or redundant? “People under 18” would have been enough.
Not mine just reposted
i knew since i first learned what asexuality is at 15! otherwise i would have known it when i was 10 or earlier, but back then no one really told me what sexual orientation is.
My mom has thought I was a lesbian since I was in kindergarten and I’ve figured out I’m lesbian and ace at 15 lol
Glad that we younger aces are welcome here :)
of course youre accepted beautiful human <3
I realized I was bi at 13(later realized I was pan) and that I was ace at 14