The allonormative framework that's ingrained into society views sex and romance as inherent to the human experience and equates those concepts with desirability. It creates a belief that one's projected attractiveness has some bearing on their personal identity, which isn't true

Diminishing the weight of our emotions, desires, and boundaries, in and out of relationships, because we're aroace is dehumanizing and futhers the oppressive structures that are heavily ingrained within society. Our identities aren't a burden or a sacrifice

That conclusion operates under the idea that we're "missing out" on intrinsic pieces of the human experience and thus we'll never be truly happy, but it fundamentally misunderstands the nuance that exists in our community and how we've broken down normative concepts over time

Happiness and love aren't synonymous as they are presented and perpetuated by allonormativity. It's important to recognize the nuance in identity, as well as other forms of attraction that some of us do and don't experience. We are worthy of inclusion and consideration regardless

It runs deeper than people online disliking us and even then, aphobia in online spaces shouldn't be dismissed. It isn't seen as deserving of attention despite being one of the many facets of prolonged discrimination. Aphobia is very real experience that hurts us and the community

This framework actively harms aromantic, asexual, and aspec people while producing a dynamic that rewards being allo. The prioritization of these types of attractions over other ones creates a relationship hierarchy as well as a binary that lacks nuanced experiences

Our voices should be uplifted and heard as much as everyone else's in the community. We're often dismissed and not taken seriously for no other reason than blatant aphobia. We're important and should be considered in conversation. Letting people know we exist isn't enough anymore

Not experiencing attraction to some degree doesn't make us naive, and the fact that we're constantly being talked down to due to our orientations needs to stop. Belittling our identities and perpetuating that we're "too innocent" to be treated respectfully isn't okay