SmittenWashingMachine Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 So I went to my first Pride this year-having only been identifying as ace since about May this year-, fully prepared to represent the ace community. The Hubby was with me and we'd already discussed how to tell our friends if they asked (that I identify as ace and that he would field any further questions about our sex life. Bc apparently it's ok to ask the that kind of shit), so that part was covered. I have my "Ally AF" shirt on and my ace heart pin and bi unicorn pin. I was really excited to maybe buy some ace swag but aside from ginormous flags there was minimal ace stuff. Like, a few pins here and there. There was nothing! AND there was no representation in the parade. There were a few people wearing that giant flag as a cape and I cheered them on but... really? That's it? No ace marchers, no Aven anything. And I came out (still feel like a fraud using that term) to like, 6 people in our friend group. They were all either supportive of aloof, which is great. I guess my anger is because every time I asked a vendor if they had any ace stuff they looked at me kinda weird. Which, honestly, was probably me projecting but still. I don't know. I would say Pride was a success in general, I am just saddened by the lack of ace awareness. Link to post Share on other sites
Zagadka Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Whenever I feel excluded, I just remember how often people (including me) come to AVEN and other places in confusion and relief accepting who they are. That is worth it. I don''t really get bothered about the LGBTQ questions and accept being "just" an ally, but I won't stop letting people know they're cool as they are. Link to post Share on other sites
Notajellyfan Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I guess it's because some LGBTQIA people, and even some ace people, still think that Asexual and Aromantic people are not actually LGBTQ+. It's sad since loads of us want to be included and we want to have some more ace representation. Link to post Share on other sites
Skycaptain Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Maybe nobody in the ace community wanted to take part. Particularly for larger parades it can be quite stressful. I'm surprised at a lack of ace merchandise though. At every pride I've been to which has stalls, there's been at least a few pins or a flag on sale Link to post Share on other sites
Firefly8 Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Was this a really small town? I've never been to a march that didn't have the major flags and pins for sale. Link to post Share on other sites
AceMissBehaving Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I think our footprint is growing. At least where I live there is a lot more ace inclusion. Last month I performed in a pride show that was very clear about being LGBTQIA, and recently applied to a queer representation show that specifically asked for ace and aro performers, so it’s getting there. Just by being there yourself you were helping make that change! From a merch perspective, folks will largely carry what they think they have a good chance of selling. If they don’t see a lot of ace people at a specific local pride, they might not feel ready to take a gamble on including a great deal of ace merch since they are out money on anything that doesn’t sell. The more flags they see though, the more likely they will be to include us their selections next time around. Link to post Share on other sites
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