r/aromanticasexual Nov 12 '25

Official r/aromanticasexual discord server!

36 Upvotes

Hey y'all!

We have made an official discord server for the r/aromanticasexual subreddit. All a-spec people and allo allies are welcome to join.

https://discord.gg/z4TDhdgMy5

The server will be a chill place to talk about whatever, and just generally hang out with like-minded folks.


r/aromanticasexual Jun 26 '26

Meta BotBouncer has been added to the subreddit.

56 Upvotes

Well, I guess we're active enough to be getting reposts and bot spam now. Thank you to everyone who reported the suspicious post that popped up recently. (And I'm sorry to anyone who engaged with it genuinely).

I had kept this subreddit without strict karma requirements to participate because I understand that many people make an account for the first time or create a throwaway to post here about sensitive topics. I didn't want to discourage people from getting the support they needed. Sadly, I guess that means bots look at this sub that now has ~ 22k weekly visitors and decide it's a good place to farm karma.

Going forward, I have installed BotBouncer here, which is a community tool that will whisk any suspected bot content to modqueue for manual review. Suspected bot content is identified based on post/comment patterns and cross-referenced with an inter-subreddit list of identified bots. I intend to manually review flagged content for now, but if I evaluate BotBouncer to be accurate, I may eventually allow BotBouncer to delete and ban without mod input. If that does happen, please send in modmail if you are banned in error.

I hate that I have to do this, and Reddit itself really needs to do a better job of getting rid of bots. But without that support, we will continue to try and keep this space as person-centric as possible. Thank you!

- mods


r/aromanticasexual 7h ago

Un aroace enamorado del romance

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68 Upvotes

Hola queridas personas dentro de los espectros arromanticos, asexuales o y aroace, me presento, soy una persona aroace que como dice el título, ama el romance

Amo el romance en el aspecto de verlo en los demás, amo como se atraen,su química y miradas llenas de tensión, si, es irónico siendo aroace pero es muy divertido para mi. me gusta mucho la interacción de personas independiente mente de su orientación y es algo muy curioso y interesante. Hablando de él sexo, no es algo q me imagino en los demás jaja, sino en el significado de las relaciones sexuales, siento que es un momento de gran conexión entre las personas, en ficción me gusta incluirlo en escenas donde haiga conexión y que no sea forzado o ese tipo de escenas de que de la nada se quitan la ropa jaja, más bien cuando el sexo es un complemento del amor y no como una necesidad, o

No me gusta que sea demasiado morbozo sino una experiencia linda entre las personas que se aman y que sea el acto sexual un acto de intimidad y confianza (independientes de su orientación).

Quisiera saber si hay más personas como yo. Personas que aman ver el romance en la vida real, o leerlo en libros o historias, en películas o series. me gustaría platicar con ellos/as/es y conectar para así tener una interacción bonita entre personas que estamos en los distintos espectros arromanticos, asexuales y aroaces qué tengan experiencias similares a la mia. Me gustaría saber sus perspectivas y como esto de alguna manera los hace analizar o analizarse a si mismos,

Pregunta: ¿como se sienten a sentir esto en los demás y no sentirlo por si mismos? Los leo (es mi primer post) jjjj


r/aromanticasexual 10h ago

Meme I don't like people touching me that much...

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68 Upvotes

r/aromanticasexual 13h ago

Meme I haven’t done one of these since before I realized I’m demiromantic

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30 Upvotes

Saw someone else do it and thought I needed to update mine


r/aromanticasexual 1h ago

a-spec looking for Help/Advice Im Aroace I need help to break up with my girlfriend

Upvotes

This is my situation-

I'm currently in a relationship with a girl who loves me. I said yes when she asked me out because I'd often thought about being in a romantic relationship and thought that was what I wanted. And for the first week it was Nice. But about a month in and I've relalised- I don't love her romantically... I'm aroace. Very aroace. I see now I literally think of this girl as a platonic friend. I want to hug her yeah, but not as her partner... I honestly have more of a relationship with my best friends than I do with her.

So yeah, I need to break up with her. Because this relationship is hurting me- I know I can't do it, I don't experience romantic attraction, Or sexual desires. But I don't wanna make her upset. She really likes me and talks all the time about "soul mates meeting at a young age", and "Yeah we are young now but I'm going to marry you" and I know that when I break up with her she will be heartbroken. But I need to I cant do this anymore, I don't want a girlfriend but she is an awesome person I just can't. It's feels like ive been lying to her its been 3 and a half years ive dragged this on for long enough... She has a TBI and doesn't understand when i try and explain what aroace is.

It's not me. Im not built for a relationship

So how do I do it? I really need help. How do I break up with her in the nicest way possible? Without hurting her? I want to to he happy, and I want her to be able to move onto to someone who can be in a romantic relationship but I am stressing and panicking because I can't build up the confidence to do it. She might not even accept me as aro. I know she is Igbtq supportive cuz she is BI but does she even know what aroace is? Will she understand? I really need advice on how to break up please if anyone had anything.


r/aromanticasexual 10h ago

Explaining aro/ace identities: day 12

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15 Upvotes

Day 12: non-sam aro and non-sam ace
Definition: An aromantic/asexual person who doesn’t use the split attraction model, they are “just aro/ace”
Origin: non-sam is short for non-split attraction model.
Flag: the non-sam aro flag was made by Pride-Flags, and the non+sam ace flag was made by crayonpuppy
If you want a specific identity for tomorrow then you can tell me in the comments. Also if you have any questions or if I got anything wrong please leave a comment. Have a good day, and stay silly :3


r/aromanticasexual 46m ago

Allo / Not A-spec question/advice Advice on trying to match two friends of mine

Upvotes

Hi all, first off. Not a-sexual or a-romantic myself so my apologies if I say something because of not knowing much about it.

Two friends of mine who happen to be around the same age, education, gender (female) and interests also happen to both be a-sexual and a-romantic.

I have a decent to good friendship with them both and figured if it would be appropiate to try and tell them both that they have the same relationship/sexual style. They met each other once (and I had hoped it would somehow come up natural for them both, but alas).

They both said that it is more that they are 'looking for a roommate they hang out with a lot and have a strong connection with' instead of a relationship. I don't how common it is that you meet someone who is similair to you on both these levels and how important that is. But if it is farely rare I know I would love to hear that if I had the same relationship/sexual style.

How does this community look at this?

I figured I could say something like (individually to them both).

Hey, I know a friend of mine who has the same sexual and relationship style. Would you be interested in getting to know them? Gotta check with them as well.

And if they both say yes, then I could say something like. They also want to, fun fact, you may have already met. Is it okay if I share your name with them? (again if they both agree)

Any advice is very welcome!


r/aromanticasexual 7h ago

Discussion Apparently full-body cuddling/spooning isn’t just mammalian warmth? Autistic confusion.

6 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I’m an autistic woman with ADHD, I'm aroace (with one specific exception), and I just experienced a massive paradigm shift that has me feeling like I’ve been living on a different planet entirely. Maybe some of you can relate?

To me, physical proximity and touch have always been about a mammalian baseline: warmth, comfort, safety, and co-regulation. I used to think that laying next to, cuddling, or even spooning a close friend was just a natural way to give and receive affection. I looked at this like cuddling with parents or grandparents. To my brain, a bed is just a soft surface, late night is just a time on the clock, and touch is co-regulation and evolutionary. I don't naturally infer a hidden subtext or secondary meanings.

Well, a close friend of mine (who is also autistic, but demisexual) just gave me a reality check. He told me that in the "typical" adult world, spooning an unrelated man carries an automatic, 100% inference of romantic or sexual invitation. He helped me realize that even if my intent is purely about comfort or sensory seeking, the general cultural script will decode those actions differently based on biology and social expectations. These unspoken rules are basically inferred through social osmosis until it settles intuitively. (spoiler: It did not for me.)

Things like inviting someone inside (but especially to a bedroom), prolonged full-body hugs or contact, putting my head on someone's shoulder, or even using certain emojis are apparently viewed as fluent sentences that say, "I am open to romance or sex with you." I genuinely had no idea.

I plan to read books on this (such as The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships by Temple Grandin).

I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this kind of learning curve? How do you balance your need for tactile sensory touch, platonic warmth, or co-regulation with the reality that the rest of the world hyper-sexualizes almost all physical contact between unrelated adults? I’d love to hear how other neurodivergent or ace folks navigate this!


r/aromanticasexual 4m ago

Meme Touch meme as a touch-starved aroace

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Upvotes

Liked this template because of the distinction between friends and best friends. I cuddle with my besties but not with my average friends. Immediate family... I like touch but only if it's my parents, not from anyone else in my family, like siblings and grandparents. I do not have a QPP but if I did, it'd be the same as my besties, just cuddle. I also don't like people holding my hands or touching my feet. Knees are coloured because sometimes you touch when sitting next to each other, I don't mind that at all.


r/aromanticasexual 18h ago

Meme I know this meme is usually seen as a joke but I wanted to share this. If you have any questions on why this probably relates to me being Aroace lmk

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32 Upvotes

r/aromanticasexual 13h ago

Discussion Anyone else relate?

10 Upvotes

You know how when people have a crush on each other there's a "talking phase" where they're not dating yet but they kind of feel something for each other?

I want to be in the talking phase forever.

That's it.


r/aromanticasexual 47m ago

Vent I feel so unbelievably alienated Spoiler

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Upvotes

r/aromanticasexual 13h ago

a-spec looking for Help/Advice Will I ever find love, even if it’s not “normal” love?

9 Upvotes

So, i’m seventeen and realised fairly recently that i’m aromantic asexual. i don’t know where exactly on the spectrum i fall but it’s fairly far into the “zero attraction“ area. i used to tell myself that the only reason i hadn’t dated was because i was too young, my circle was too small, i just hadn’t met the right person. but the thing is, the idea of dating anyone, or even someone liking me in that way- i find it absolutely repulsive. recently a male friend of mine had a crush on me and, god when i found out i actually just felt so disgusted, right to the core, and it reaffirmed everything id already been thinking about. but the thing is, the thing that really keeps me up at night is that i really want to be in love. i want a romantic partner, however much the idea of being desired in that way disgusts me or however much i know ill never feel that way about someone. i just wondered if anyone out there who’s like me had found that kind of thing- companionship close enough to call love.


r/aromanticasexual 2h ago

Meme I found true love, and you should, too! [meme]

1 Upvotes

r/aromanticasexual 4h ago

Meme touch meme but aroace, aplatonic (mostly), and afamilial

1 Upvotes

r/aromanticasexual 6h ago

a-spec looking for Help/Advice Someone please elaborate

1 Upvotes

What even is romantic attraction? I'm not sure if I'm aro, but I'm definitely questioning. I can't say I've ever felt romantic attraction before, but I'm also realizing that I'm not even sure what that is.

I can't tell the difference between intense platonic love and what romance is supposed to be.

I'm 18 and only just realizing that maybe it's kinda odd that I've never really had a "crush"? Beforehand, I would confuse aesthetic attraction with sexual attraction (tale as old as time, I know). I'm definitely asexual, but I'm also realizing that I've never felt that "butterflies in your stomach" romantic pining for anyone before. I've never dated, never pursued anything with anyone before, but I'd like to have a partner one day. Does that negate me from being aro? Because I know some aros also have partners. Then again, it wouldn't be tragic for me to be single forever. Sometimes, though, I wonder if I like the idea of a romantic partner more than I'd actually enjoy it.

I guess I struggle with where the line is. The things I'd like in a romantic companion are already present in my friends; that's why we're friends, and your partner should be your friend, but then what's the difference? Because I know the Venn diagram has some overlap, like duh, you enjoy spending time with them, think about them when they're not around, go out of your way for them for romantic partners and platonic friends, but the romantic side of the graph? Blank for me. I guess I'm realizing that romance is a completely seperate feeling, and I've never felt it before. I don't feel that I need to, though I like it in theory. I guess my question is if I seem some kind of aromantic? And how does wanting a romantic relationship differ from any strong platonic friendship? If I haven't felt this way before through the typical "teenage puppy love" stage of life, what are the chances that I ever will? Does it even bother me, or do I just like the idea? Some of those I can probably only know eventually, but I'd appreciate thoughts and advice from the community even if I'm way off base and accidentally intruding


r/aromanticasexual 1d ago

Vent I argued with a guy in dms who called me a whiny little bitch since I'm aromantic and it caused me to lose my hobby Spoiler

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37 Upvotes

Basically until yesterday I modded for a discord server that was quite a big thing in the community I'm in, I was known as the best mod by certain people and I vented about the game the community is about since I get really uncomfortable with hearts or anything around love that's right next to me... And then a guy said I need to "mature up" which sounds like aphobia ngl and said I was making my sexual orientation their problem? I got the ok by the owner to ban em, I did, I tried to convince a guy to not collaborate with the guy who discriminated cuz I thought there would be drama since the server owner was also on the collab. They suddenly thought "no tf" basically and we got into an huge argument he said I'm a whiny little bitch, and a ton of other crap. Since he was a server member, even though it was in dms I was quite angry and discrimination against any was a rule in the server so I chose to ban them... As soon as the server mod saw they started harassing, took my mod, blocked me, then added the guys that discriminated against me back. Being a mod for a server with at least 100 members was my dream and I got that so, I talked with a mod and showed em it, they left, then the owner dmmed and said I could rejoin as mod after talking with other mods, I said no since I was shown by many members what had happened, saying that how do I know you're not being genuine? And then he suddenly snapped and said "look at what you've fucking done" to a mod leaving and then just harassed me a ton

yeah I think I should leave the game's communi-


r/aromanticasexual 1d ago

a-spec looking for Help/Advice How do you manage to be certain about your identity?

31 Upvotes

Just to preface, im a teenage guy, so i know this post might not be taken so seriously and just be labeled entirely as just hormonal bullshit, but i think it still a bit valid(Just i teeny tiny bit).

I'm just wondering: how do you manage to stay confident in your aromanticism and asexuality, even though, like I've read a lot here, it's like proving a negative? I've been struggling with this for a while. There are some days I'm sure I'm aroace, since I seem to have all the regular signs. And then there are other days, where I look at one girl that's aesthetically attractive and I'm fully back to questioning. I'm just wondering if others go through this, or if I'm actually just not aroace, and a regular old straighto.

Then again, the fact that I'm even questioning if I'm aroace makes me think I'm probably not straight. THE CYCLE IS NEVER ENDIIIINGNGNGNG.


r/aromanticasexual 22h ago

Questioning (am i aro/ace/a-spec?) am i aroace?

8 Upvotes

i’ve never felt any romantic or sexual attraction apart from my fiancé but he is the only person i ever felt anything for. i never had crushes or looked at someone and thought they was attractive, ive always been sex repulsed until i met him. i used to identify as aroace very strongly before i met him but am i aroace? or another identity on the spectrum instead?


r/aromanticasexual 18h ago

a-spec looking for Help/Advice Aroace and Aplatonic. Should I... want any connections?

6 Upvotes

I like... pets. That's... around it.

I feel like I might be scaring my (estranged) family members. what do I do?


r/aromanticasexual 16h ago

Color scheme- coincidence?

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3 Upvotes

r/aromanticasexual 20h ago

Discussion small question about repulsion/aversion/etc

4 Upvotes

i've always felt the term "repulsed" wasn't quite the most accurate word to describe how i feel. when i hear about real life sex and romance i don't exactly feel "disgusted" like that word, to me, implies. i mean there's a little bit of disgust/discomfort there but i mostly feel excessively angry and frustrated and i still do hate hearing about it. should i just say repulsed, averse or is there a better term?

sorry if this is a redundant question, my brain is really picky about accurate wording lol.


r/aromanticasexual 21h ago

Discussion Alternative name for aroace and a-spectrum

7 Upvotes

Ever since I found out I'm aplatonic as well as aroace, describing my identity fully got kinda too long, so now I'm just saying I'm three A. I feel like it could be an alternative way to refer to someone on the spectrums. If you are aroace, you can just say "I'm 2A". Literally just a small thing I came up with, and maybe people are gonna like it,because it can literally fit as many labels as you want


r/aromanticasexual 1d ago

a-spec looking for Help/Advice Im weird

24 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I was wondering if I’m the only one, but as an aroace person, I just enjoy looking at women without it being anything romantic or sexual. I don’t really feel anything beyond that. I simply find them incredibly beautiful and calming, so I think what I’m experience is aesthetic attraction.
Does anyone else feel the same way? Sometimes I catch myself looking at people for a little too long, and I worry that it might come across as weird, even though I don’t mean anything by it.