Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week takes place every year in the week after 14 February (Valentine’s Day). This year, the awareness week falls on 19-25 February.
The aromantic spectrum is a form of sexual orientation in which people feel little or no romantic attraction to other people, regardless of gender. However, it can also mean that they have little or no interest in romantic relationships with others. Some aromantic people are interested in sexual relationships, while others have little or no need for them.
People on the aromantic spectrum are therefore not romantically attracted to people, but platonically. In the ace/aro spectrum, the term “squish” has become established for this. A squish is an intense feeling for another person that is not of a romantic nature. The difference to “normal” friends is the deeper emotional bond.
Awareness Week was created to increase the visibility of aro people and give them a voice. For a long time, the aro spectrum was not accepted by society as an independent sexuality and ace/arro people were therefore denied their orientation. Even today, aro and asexual people often feel misunderstood, as romance and sexuality are taken for granted in our society. Many people on the spectrum therefore often feel great social pressure to enter into a romantic (and sexual) relationship, even though they may not want to.
