During last year’s Ace Week, I took some time to recognize a bunch of great asexual creators that you can personally follow online right now. I recommend checking it out. However, one thing became clear as time progressed. There was no fathomable way to cover everyone, in part because I hadn’t stumbled upon their work but also because some of the ones I’ll mention are only months old. There was initial concern that I wouldn’t have enough talented creators to reference in a follow-up piece, but when pulling together a list, I am happy to say that there’s no shortage of amazing work out there.
The one thing that I will mention is that unlike last year’s entry, some of these will extend beyond the typical grounds of social media that I’ve covered. On my personal journey of asexuality, I’ve been branching out into other media in order to get a greater sense of how this identity relates to the greater world. My only caveat here is that those I have chosen are works that I’ve personally consumed, so this includes people and groups in film and literature who are leading the way for a better future.
I’ll start with a name that I’ve mentioned several times over the past two years and feel like will be around a little longer. As someone who backed their Kickstarter, I remain curious to see how Dear Luke Love Me will turn out. Given that it’s considered the first asexual love story in cinema history, I am hoping it’s a charming little feature and that it resonates with viewers. Having been to a backer’s meeting, I am happy to report that on top of having a gay director (Guillermo Diaz), the writer Mallie McCown identifies under the aspec umbrella (other crew members also are part of the LGBTQIA+ community). There’s not too much that I’m aware of as far as a release, but I will say that I’m convinced the cast and crew have their heart in the right place and am really hoping for the best.
While in the ballpark of asexual representation, I want to briefly mention two random shorts I also discovered. The first is Thanks to Her (2020) which is a cute little drama about a lesbian asexual couple. There’s been rumors that Sam McCoy and Sam Orlowski are/were working on making a feature length, but there’s no further information that I have at this time. There is also a nice little short called Asexual Story (2018) done entirely by Megan Delany and I think is a nice dose of serotonin for those who need a little pick me up. Finally, there’s Kyle Prue who has a YouTube series called Rabbit whose protagonist identifies as ace.
Moving into the world of literature, I want to mention a book I picked up. While I am unfamiliar with the rest of her work, I’ve heard great things about Julia Sondra Decker’s “The Invisible Orientation,” which is all about the ins and outs of being asexual. Given that I think everyone should have at least some awareness of asexuality, I find it to be a useful text. I have also heard great things about Angela Chen’s “Ace” and there’s many more on the way (including from the people behind Ace Dad Advice and Sounds Fake But Okay). Still, Decker is the one I have sitting on my bookshelf right now, and recommend people check out some work to understand the nuances of this conversation.
It also only feels right to dedicate some space here to Alice Oseman. While I haven’t yet found a copy of “Loveless,” I am happy to count myself among those who have a copy of “Heartstopper.” I love seeing an aro-ace getting wider appreciation from the community and that comic’s adaptation to Netflix is some of the most heartwarming and comforting TV of the year. While the protagonists are gay, the promise of asexual representation in Heartstopper has been promised and I look forward to whatever comes next. More than anything, I’m just hoping for more representation created by the community in the near future. Oseman sounds like she has a lot of great projects lined up, so here’s hoping this isn’t the end for her!
I’m also not the first to reference the incredible work of Yasmin Benoit, who is an asexual activist that has done great work to spread awareness. Despite the controversy around her campaign that asexual people can dress sexy, I think that she’s doing plenty of good to recontextualize what it means to be ace in modern society. She has plenty of work out there including articles published in magazines. However, one of my favorite things she does is a monthly Instagram Live. There’s not necessarily anything special about them, but they’re just an excuse to hang out and listen to her talk about whatever’s going on in her life. It’s a fun time and is usually held on a Saturday at the end of the month. As of this writing, she’s currently participating in Ace Week events and announcing upcoming projects.
While over on Instagram, I would like to quickly mention a few creators who may be on many platforms but have a substantial presence there. There’s The Ace Mind, who does great work around sharing a variety of information relevant to asexual and queer experiences. There’s also usually great attention to graphic design and presents a nuanced perspective for those wanting to know what’s going on in current LGBTQIA+ news. I also am a fan of a newer account that I recently discovered called Aspec Echoes whose goal is sharing a historical awareness of asexuality throughout the centuries. As someone who loves hearing about queerness that stems beyond the 20th century, it’s an account that I look forward to seeing how it evolves.
One of the more interesting things about highlighting YouTube creators is that while I did a thorough job last year, I discovered that many of the creators that I had already followed were asexual and I hadn’t realized it. The most noteworthy was Overly Sarcastic Productions, whose videos summarizing mythology have gotten me through more than one literature course. On top of just being entertaining, I was awestruck to discover that Red and Blue identified as asexual and think it helps to create a substantial look at these stories that tear apart the ridiculousness of their lusty undertones. More than anything, I just love it as an example of being able to do a literary read of these texts that are outside of the amatanormativity that I’m usually stuck hearing from.
There is also, of course, Jaiden Animations. While I am unfamiliar with her work prior to the famous “Being Not Straight” video, there was something thrilling about that moment on the internet. For the first time, I was aware of a greater public consuming media about being aro-ace and making it the top video on YouTube for a time. It’s a great video and does a thorough job of explaining experiences that are not unfamiliar. I’ve since watched more of her videos that mix candid experiences with a general interest in video games, and they’re all well-made and very entertaining.
There are other smaller accounts that deserve some attention. Artemis Munoz is someone who I have enjoyed since discovering their video on alterous attraction, which is one of the lesser known features of the split attraction model. She does a great job of breaking it down and making you appreciate what it means. Their work tends to focus on various neurodivergent and queer experiences including several more on the ace experience. As of August, they have expressed feeling burned out and I’m assuming taking a break. I wish them well and look forward to whatever else comes of their work.
I think one of my favorite discoveries on this list was Spacey Aces, which is easily the most wholesome and welcoming asexual channel I’ve found. In short, it’s a channel run by a group of young creators who identify somewhere on the ace spectrum. The videos range in subject matter from educational rundowns of languages and experiences to various tangential interests and neurodivergent lifestyles. In recent videos, they have shared book recommendations, and rated audience members’ coming out stories (encouragingly, of course). It’s always a good time when they drop a new video and I hope there’s others that find the warmth of their videos a nice way to be proud of their asexual identity. Also, if you’re not following them on Instagram, you’re only getting half the story. There’s a lot more interactive content over there that makes me want to give them an even higher recommendation.
Closing out, I would like to shift to the place where I first discovered a lot of asexual creators. While I did a thorough job last of running down the major accounts, there’s been a few since then that I’ve discovered and enjoyed a lot. Among them is GentleGiantAce, whose work outside of the platform has lead to his state recognizing Asexual Awareness Day as a holiday. Like most, he’s very supportive and most of his videos include him waving an ace flag while providing some encouraging advice.
@ace.scicomm For day 5 of #AceWeek, I am going to talk about the similarities between scientific and queer language. Go follow @Anna Marie, PhD 🌈⚧♠️ #AceWeek2022 #acetok #asexual #asexuality #lgbt #queer #science #acescicomm ♬ Lo-Fi analog beat - Gloveity
The final two are an interesting spin on the asexual identity. I want to start with Ace Sciomm, who is doing great work to reflect the ace community in the field of science. Along with educating viewers, she tends to incorporate science experiments into her examples. Not unlike Bill Nye, it works at creating a larger metaphor while teaching S.T.E.M. that applies to everyday life. In fact, she tends to spend Ace Week doing great videos that help to reflect the complexities of the aspsec umbrella in memorable and exciting ways.
@acesculptrix Happy Ace Day! Here are some ace vibes from a surprising source💜🖤♡ #marilynmonroe #ace #lesbian #asexual #acetok #acevisibility #quote #fypã‚· ♬ Why I was a siren - AceSculptrix
Then there’s Acesculptrix. With an emphasis on sculpting objects, she also does videos educating audiences on the fascinating world of asexuality. While this alone would give her a deserved place on the list, I think she has since become known for perpetuating a theory that I am personally fascinated with. As many know, Marilyn Monroe is someone I respect as an actress because I believe she’s playing a multi-layered performance where she’s the smartest person in the room while playing dumb. While I have complicated feelings around Blonde (2022) because of this, what I will say is that Acesculptrix has this amazing theory that she was asexual and has made several videos on the subject. In all honesty, having that knowledge makes reading her films at least more interesting. It also makes a curious study of how amatanormativity drives asexuals to try and comply with a hypersexualized world through masking. Even then, I think Acesulptrix has more than enough evidence to suggest that there’s some truth in her theory.
When approaching this year’s Ace Week, I was concerned that this entry would come up short. I didn’t know if I’d have enough voices to highlight and make this piece feel meaningful. I’m happy to report that I was very wrong and hopefully that’s a sign of a potential third column next year not being all that illogical. For now, I celebrate this week by being proud of who I am and recognizing how great this community continues to be. While I started with feeling like the world was too small for asexuals, I’m happy to report that it’s not quite the case. I highlight these people because it makes me feel good to not feel like I’m alone, and that there’s many aces out there trying to make the most of life. We come in many shapes and sizes, and I hope this piece reflects some of the ways that’s true. Why not take some time to give these people a look? I think they’re deserving of some attention, especially during Asexual Awareness Week.
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