What we’re looking for
Submissions from asexual spectrum or questioning people who have experienced sexual violence, related to the intersection of asexuality and sexual violence, or geared toward people supporting ace survivors.
For ace survivors
- personal narratives
- artwork or photography related to processing, healing, or affirming one’s identity as ace-spectrum and/or a survivor (or however else you identify)
- intersectional pieces—what’s it like being an ace survivor and [other intersection]? How has that intersection compounded your trauma or recovery?
- advice for ace survivors seeking therapy or other support (how to find a therapist or crisis center, how to deal with counselors who aren’t familiar with asexual spectrum identities, etc.)
- advice on dealing with social or legal fallout from abuse (with family, friends, school, work, communities, internet harassment, etc.)
- pieces on recovery, resilience, and self-care (guides, tips, useful quotes, etc.)
- pieces related to dealing with specific symptoms or maladaptive coping strategies (e.g. self-harm, eating disorders, panic attacks)
- links to other organizations or resources that you have found helpful—especially those based in countries other than the U.S.
- The original call for writing #by ace survivors for ace survivorsoffers more specific prompts to get you started.
For supporters of ace survivors
Educational resources (like pamphlets, articles, and links) for…
- therapists, crisis center counselors, or other health professionals who are working with ace survivors
- friends and family of ace survivors
- partners of ace survivors
- communities wanting to make their space safe for ace survivors
- individual activists wanting to create educational speeches, workshops, or academic writing on the topic of asexuality and sexual violence (What are some problematic ways people have approached this topic? What specific language should be avoided or included?)
Please note that if you are a supporter of an ace survivor but not an ace survivor yourself, you can still write guest posts for us about what specific difficulties you have run into, and how you have learned to be a better supporter.
How to submit
Your safety and well-being is our first concern. We understand that disclosure can be scary, traumatic, and/or dangerous for many survivors, so we encourage you to take whatever steps are necessary to keep yourself safe. We are happy to post anonymous submissions. If you are not sure whether or not to post anonymously, under a pseudonym, or under your real name, we can advise you about what the best course of action might be based on your personal situation. We are also happy to cross-post your submission to both WordPress and Tumblr or post on only one platform, depending on your comfort level. You can also tell us to delay posting your piece until you feel comfortable with publishing it, or ask us to remove it after it has been posted.
You can submit a piece to us by email at submit@asexualsurvivors.org, or submit through our submission box on tumblr. Please let us know if you would like the piece to be anonymized or posted under a pseudonym.
If you have found a piece you think we might be interested in elsewhere on the web, feel free to send us a link at submit@asexualsurvivors.org, or send a link through our submission box on tumblr.
We reserve the right to reject submissions we feel may be harmful to other survivors. We may ask you to edit certain phrases if the word choice inadvertently plays into harmful myths. We will work with you to revise your post if you feel your piece could benefit from constructive feedback. We may make very minor formatting edits for readability, but otherwise your story is your own. We will not make any changes without consulting you.
Regular contributors
In addition to single contributions, we are also looking for regular contributors to our multi-author WordPress blog. If you are interested in joining our team, please email us at submit@asexualsurvivors.org. We will ask for a 500-1500 word writing sample, a short author bio, and a few ideas for posts you’d like to write for us. Regular contributors’ posts cannot be posted as anonymous, but we recognize that safety is a big concern when writing about this topic, and encourage writers to use a pseudonym to avoid potential complications. Some specific, more sensitive posts can still be posted as a guest post anonymously even if you are a regular contributor.
We also have other projects you can help us with. If you are interested in joining our team in some other capacity, or have a project idea you’d like to propose, please email us for more information.
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
You can contact us at info@asexualsurvivors.org or through our ask box on tumblr.