Hi, readers! In this Allyship Corner article, I'm going to talk about the aromantic and asexual spectrums. While I identify on the asexual spectrum, I am not an expert on this topic and I highly recommend that you follow up with your own research after reading this article! I'll start by giving you a brief description of each identity. Aromantic, or aro for short, describes someone who experiences little to no romantic attraction. Asexual, or ace for short, describes someone who experiences little to no sexual attraction.

It is important to note that romantic relationships are not necessary for everyone. Those who do not desire them can lead equally happy and fulfilled lives while getting the love they need from platonic relationships, like family and friends. The same applies to asexual folks and sex. Another thing to note about aromanticism and asexuality is that they are not disorders or choices. Like all the other identities, they are a part of who you are and do not come from upbringing or past experiences. Some believe that it is just about not having 'met the right person yet'. This type of assumption is untrue and harmful to the community as it pushes to invalidate the identities. Additionally, those who are aromantic may still have romantic relationships and those who are asexual may still have sexual relationships.

Another important thing to remember is that not all aromantic people are asexual. Similarly, not all asexual people are aromantic. Ace folks often experience romantic attraction while folks who identify as aro can still experience sexual attraction. There can also be an overlap where someone identifies as both aromantic and asexual. They may use the shortened labels aroace or acearo.

The last important point I'd like to bring up is that both identities are spectrums. Aromantic, asexual, and aroace folks can identify anywhere on those spectrums. They can also have other romantic and sexual identities.

A couple of examples of identities on the aromantic and asexual spectrums are demisexual/demiromantic and aroflux/aceflux. Demisexual and demiromantic describe folks who only feel romantic or sexual attraction to those that they have already formed a close emotional bond with. Aroflux and aceflux describe folks whose aromanticism or asexuality is fluid and moves along the spectrum.

That's all from me! As I mentioned earlier, I encourage you to do your own research to understand more about these beautiful identities! Doing your own research and being open to learning is an important part of being a good ally. Remember not to assume, to ask if you are unsure, and to be open to learning more!

Welcome to another edition of Prism's Representation in Media. Today we'll be going over actors who came out publicly after playing a queer character in a television show, which is a fairly common phenomenon.

In the case of Kaylee Bryant, Josie in Legacies, the series had a very positive impact on her life. It made her a lot more comfortable despite initially feeling a lot of pressure. Her character was very comfortable with who she was when Kaylee herself was still figuring it all out. In 2021, 3 years after the release date of the show, she came out in an Instagram post with a pride flag. She'd been very inspired by the character she'd been playing, like many fans have been.

Secondly, we have Adamo Ruggiero who played the first central gay character in the Degrassi series, to have the main role. The character he played, Marco Del Rossi, was how Adamo came out. In Adamo's own words in an ETcanada interview "We kind of grew up together and we figured it out together." Marco was introduced in season 2, which aired in 2002, so he played an important part in getting more LGBTQ+ representation out on television.

Janet Varney, also known for voicing Korra in The Legend of Korra, came out publically in 2018. Within the show, Korra starts by dating Mako, but later on gets together with Asami. Show directors have confirmed that Asami and Korra had a canon relationship. Janet came out publicly in 2018, again via an Instagram post, sharing 10 movies that made her feel less weird about being a lesbian. She feels like LOK was an important series to normalize queer relationships, even more so doing it in an animated series.

Then we have Sean Hayes, who didn't come out until years after playing a gay character in the show Will & Grace. There was a lot of pressure coming from the community at the time, but he did not feel comfortable taking on the responsibility of speaking for the gay community. He's even stated that he feels like he needs to give the community an apology for not coming out sooner.

Victor Garber, who played the title role in Liberace: Behind the Music, struggled to find work for many years after playing a gay musician in that movie. His co-star had encouraged him to come out publicly, but Garber did not have the courage at the time. Eventually, he'd pick up some smaller roles playing a gay character, but didn't officially come out until 2013, when he confirmed his marriage to his husband.

Taking the pressure of coming out even further, we'll look at the Heartstopper actor Kit Connor. After many critics accused him of queer-baiting, he posted a (sarcastic) congratulations on Twitter for forcing an 18-year-old to come out. He had previously stated that despite understanding the fans' curiosity, he didn't want others to speculate about his sexuality. On the radio, he stated he doesn't like the pressure and even finds it dangerous because he doesn't feel the need to label himself, especially not publicly.

It's great to see queer actors play queer roles because it not only gives us more awesome representation, but it also means queer actors get more opportunities. Several of these examples show some of the obstacles and limitations that arise when pushing the narrative of only giving queer actors these roles. I hope we all remember that celebrities are, in the end, human beings as well, with real lives beyond and outside the screens.