talking about love in school
I'm arospec (probably demi with homoromantic attraction, also not out). In class, we had to talk about love today. I felt left out, and my teacher only talked about romantic love. we don't often mention these things, but today really pushed some inner aphobia up to the surface. I don't know what to do when we talk about these things, becuase i don't have any situations concerning romance that I am proud of and ready to discuss. for the first time in a while, i just feel defeated becuase of my identity. i know i dont choose to be this way, and i am normally proud of it, but today i really just wish i was what society considers normal. everywhere i go, i'm the odd one out when it comes to these things. what can i do to embrace who i am further?
@wendi54 I've had similar experiences as well, and I know how much it just...feels awful to feel so alienated. Even though you know how you feel is normal for you, when everyone talks about it like it's so normal, it can feel really isolating and like there's something wrong with you. I had this experience when for a class, we had to write a poem about love and say it to the class (and this was a philosophy class in university, what was the point??). I had not experienced romantic love, and I was really struggling with what to write and how to say how I feel. So instead, I thought about the other ways that I feel and express love, even if it's not romantic. In my situation, I ended up writing about the one I loved the most: my cat who had passed away. It's not romantic love, but that's genuine love. Your platonic love is just as valid. Your passion for things you like is a kind of love (maybe it's nature, or art, or fictional stories/characters, or sports teams, anything really). Love for your friends and for people you care about is valid love. Love for your identity, or for the LGBT community....compassion is love, caring is love. Just because you don't feel romantic love, doesn't mean you aren't full of love in many ways 🥰
