Friendly reminder that aro erasure, even if a character is still asexual, is arophobic. Ignoring, condoning, or celebrating the erasure of aromanticism makes you an arophobe, even if you are asexual. Being asexual does not give you a free pass to be arophobic; we are not the same.
Aro erasure is not just a price to pay for asexual representation. Ace representation can not be a win if it is at the expense of aroaces.
Aroaces matter. Our aromanticism matters. Our representation as aromantic matters. Do not ask us to sit quietly and cough up some sort of half-assed praise for ace representation that comes at the cost of aroace representation. We know it’s because our aromanticism isn’t valued, and we know it’s because writers will do whatever they can to still shoehorn in some romance even if they’re writing ace characters because aromanticism is boring and unrelatable; we can see right through it. Aroaces can see you throwing us under the bus.
Yes, this is about Jughead Jones. Yes, this is about Raphael Santiago. This is also about how our aromanticism is treated outside of fiction; fan culture reflects reality. Take responsibility for how you treat aromantics and for the erasure of what little canon representation we have. Especially if you are asexual.
QueerGalaxies 