The Aromantic Flag is a symbol of solidarity among Aromantics. The flag was designed by the Aro community on Reddit, in order to help them show their identity and raise awareness about Aromanticism. It features four horizontal bars which represent other kinds of relationships that don’t include romantic attraction or sexual attraction.
This flag allows people who are not romantically attracted to anyone to be represented in broader LGBTQ+ communities. There’s also a black bar at the top with “A” written on it in white text below it so that Aromantics can identify themselves as such without needing to use any words.
History
Aromantic asexuals go back to the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) forum as early as 2010 but the term Aro wasn’t coined until years later in 2012. In 2016, the Aromantic flag was created on Reddit. Then on Tumblr, a second version of the flag was created by a user named Cameron in 2014; this design had five stripes consisting of light-green, dark-green, yellow, grey, and black.
Finally, a third flag was created by the same user later that year, replacing the yellow stripe with white. To this day, this design is the most widely used.
What It Means to Be Aromantic
Being Aromantic is all about not being sexually or romantically attracted to those of the opposite and/or same-sex. An Aromantic (abbreviated as Aro) can be both heterosexual and homosexual in terms of attraction, but they do not experience romantic love, sexual desire, or have an interest in either. They are simply not interested in relationships with people at all. Arophobia is defined as a fear or hatred of Aros, this is something that does actually happen, and it’s just as awful as someone hating on gays, minorities, etc…
Aros deserve acceptance and understanding from society because we do exist and we are valid!
How Can I Join or Start a Community?
Reddit has the largest Aromantic community on the web that welcomes both allies and people who identify themselves as Aromantic. You are encouraged to participate in discussions on topics such as what it means to be Aromantic, how to cope with being Aromantic, and so on.
Aromantic Asexual Flag
The Aromantic Asexual Flag is white, with three bars on the left and one bar on the right. The three bars on the left are pink, blue, and purple. These colors were selected because they represent romance (pink), sexual attraction (blue), and platonic attraction or a sense of kinship or familiarity (purple). A person who is Aromantic Asexual may feel a romantic attraction but not a sexual attraction, and they also may as well have a desire for friendship that doesn’t fall under platonic attraction or kinship.
The flag shows that Aros understands there are many different kinds of relationships in addition to romantic ones.
Do Not Make Assumptions
The Aromantic Flag has been designed so that it can’t be used to identify individuals. So just because a person has this or uses it does not mean that they are openly Aromantic. Many people who are not romantically attracted aren’t necessarily “out” about their identity because they prefer more privacy especially since many people are judgmental about
How Should I React To An Aromantic Person?
The most important thing is that you shouldn’t assume that someone is romantically attracted based on their outward appearance. Also, please don’t make assumptions about a person’s identity just because they are aromantic for example assuming that all Aro people hate sex or romance. It could be good to ask an Aromantic person what they think of themself so you
Aromantic Pride Day
This day was chosen because it commemorates a widely recognized day that celebrates gay pride. Aromantics need their own day too just like all other sexualities. Aromantics have been marginalized for far too long and now they are finally getting recognition from everyone else through Aromantic Pride Day.
Fostering a Culture of Tolerance and Acceptance
As with anything that concerns personal identity, the most important thing is to show tolerance and acceptance. Aromantics are a minority identity, and the Aromantic Flag can be a great way to show empathy. Aromantics also face unique struggles in their daily lives.
There is the potential for violation of consent from romantic partners, co-workers, or family members who don’t understand Aromanticism because of their misguided assumptions.
A lack of positive community interactions is also another issue. They face the possibility of having an Aromantic identity questioned or invalidated. Having to constantly explain what Aromanticism is just so they can get through the day.
You can support the Aromantic Flag by telling everyone that you know about it so that they too can show their identity and raise awareness. You’re also encouraged to use social media such as Twitter or Tumblr to spread awareness of Aromantics. Aromantics can also use Aro pride flags as Aromantic Pride Day.
Read Also:
Here’s How Your Parents Influence Who You Consider F**k-worthy(Opens in a new browser tab)
There’s a Lot More to Gay Pride Than You Know(Opens in a new browser tab)
