Ace Awareness Week
Ace Week 2020 is October 25th-31st!
Ace Week is an international campaign that seeks to educate about asexual, aromantic, demisexual, and grey-asexual experiences and to create materials that are accessible to our community and our allies around the world.
To learn more about Asexual Awareness Week, check out https://aceweek.org/about/the-week
New information on Ace Week 2020 is being added every day - keep checking back for updates!
Attend a Local (Virtual) Event with Asexuality SF
LGBTQ Youth Space Asexual & Aromantic Panel
Friday, October 30 - 5:30pm - The San Jose LGBTQ Youth Space via RingCentral virtual meeting
Wanting to hear from a panel of speakers in the Ace and Aro community? Interested in hearing stories that spark compassion and understanding? Then join us from the comfort of your own space, as we celebrate Ace and Aro Week with a panel of guest speakers! Please have your questions ready for this exciting event!
Queer and trans youth and their allies, ages 13-25 are welcome to attend.
The panel will take place on the platform RingCentral. *Note: participants will need to download and install the RingCentral app on their phone or computer to join* Please contact our Drop-in Center Coordinator, Stanley, at: sgaeta@fcservices.org for questions or access information to join the RingCentral meeting.
Check out a Featured (Virtual) Event from Other Ace Orgs:
With most events moving online this year, there's also a wealth of events from many different excellent ace organizations available online for anyone to attend this year. Full a full list of events, check out the listings at aceweek.org, or check out a few highlights below:
On Asexuality, Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex: A Live Online Conversation with Angela Chen and Sabrina Imbler
Thursday, October 29 - 5:30pm - Register Online Here
WWhat exactly is sexual attraction and what is it like to go through life not experiencing it? What does asexuality reveal about gender roles, about romance and consent, and the pressures of society? In her latest book, Ace, journalist Angela Chen set out to further understand her own asexuality by examining the perspectives of a diverse group of asexual people...Join Angela and journalist Sabrina Imbler for a conversation about what it means to be asexual in a world that’s obsessed with sexual attraction, and what the ace perspective can teach all of us about desire and identity.
Celebrate Ace History with #AceWeek Blogging Prompts
Our theme this year is “Our History.” In choosing this theme, we hope to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ace Week as well as encourage a moment of reflection on the personal and community histories that brought us to where we are today.
In that spirit, we’ve put together a list of blogging prompts for the week. Please feel free to use them in whatever way works for you. You can choose one prompt to focus on, pick a different one for each day of the week, or think of your own topic relating to the theme to write about.
The official tag for the week is #aceweek across all social media platforms.
Submit a Post to the October Carnival of Aces
For those who identify as part of the asexual spectrum, consider submitting a post to the Carnival of Aces! The Carnival of Aces is a monthly blogging event by and for the ace community. The current Carnival for the month of October hosted by Queerer than Ever around the theme of "Multitudes":
My prompt this month is "multitudes," for the multitudes of reasons people identify with asexual and multitudes of definitions to cover them. Some suggestions on how you can answer this is listed below, but feel free to talk about whatever comes to mind from this post!
Some ideas:
What do you consider part of your asexual identity beyond the definition established by AVEN?
How has different aspects of your identity and its relationship to the definition changed or not changed over time?
If you would define your asexual identity for yourself, would you change the definition? Would you add more things? Take some away? Clarify?
Make a request at your local library
Checking out a book from your local library is a great way to learn more asexuality and support your local library at the same time! If your local or university library doesn't already have ace books in stock, you can also place a request either by contacting a librarian directly or through their website, to help ensure that ace representation will be accessible to those who need it.
We've gathered a list of some of our favorites below:
Nonfiction:
The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality by Julie Sondra Decker - ISBN: 978-1-63450-243-6
Understanding Asexuality by Anthony Bogaert - ISBN: 978-1-4422-0100-2
Asexuality and Sexual Normativity ed. by Mark Carrigan, Kristina Gupta and Todd G. Morrison - ISBN: 9-780-4157-3132-4
Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives ed. by Karli June Cerankowski and Megan Milks - ISBN: 978-1-1382-8479-1
Asexual Erotics by Ela Przybylo - ISBN: 978-080701379-3
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Society, Desire, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen - ISBN: 978-080701379-3
Fiction:
All the Wrong Places by Ann Gallagher (Contemporary, Romance) - ISBN: 978-1-62649-420-6
Ball Caps and Khakis by Jo Ramsey (Contemporary, YA) - ISBN: 978-1-63477-034-7
Blank Spaces by Cass Lennox (Contemporary, Romance) - ISBN: 978-1-62649-484-8
Breakfire's Glass by A.M. Valenza (Fantasy) - ISBN: 978-1-62004-721-7
How to Be a Normal Person by T.J. Klune (Contemporary, Comedy) - ISBN: 978-1-63476-578-7
Of Monsters and Men by Caitlin Ricci (Paranormal, New Adult) - ISBN: 978-1-63216-932-7
Quicksilver by R.J. Anderson (Sci-Fi, YA) - ISBN: 978-1-40831-628-3
Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee (Contemporary, YA) - ISBN: 978-1-48148-933-1
This Song Is (Not) For You by Laura Nowlin (Contemporary, YA) - ISBN: 978-1-49260-290-3
We Awaken by Calista Lynne (Magical Realism, YA) - ISBN: 978-1-63476-995-2
More Ways to Get Involved
Looking for other ways to help spread awareness of asexuality? Here's some ideas for things you can do:
Check out the official aceweek.org website for more stories and ways to get involved
Share links to ace resources on social media
Check out the Ace Week master thread on AVEN.
Post Asexual Awareness Week posters or flyers in your dorm, office, classroom, or local shops.
Write a class paper about asexuality
Check out AVEN's guide to getting involved
Request a speaker or workshop for your org to learn more about asexuality and how you can be ace-inclusive