intersectionality

Components of Resilience: Support Network & Discernment

By | 2018-04-09T23:28:10-04:00 June 29th, 2016|Categories: By & For Ace Survivors, Coping Strategies, Recovery, Resilience|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Support networks are a crucial part of resilience, and may even perhaps be the most important factor. It's not hard to find evidence of the health impacts of isolation or the protective effects of having supportive community. Those with strong support networks are less likely to develop PTSD and among those who still do, good support is likely to significantly reduce symptom severity. In order to have a healthy support network, you need to be able to recognize what healthy relationships look like. If you can't recognize when a relationship is becoming unhealthy, you can't take steps to keep yourself safe. Discernment is the skill of perceiving, understanding, and exercising good judgment. A person with "discerning tastes" is someone who has strong preferences about aesthetic quality, like a gourmand. The psychological use of the term is much broader—it is more related to perception and decision-making in general.

Here goes everything

By | 2018-04-10T00:16:29-04:00 September 3rd, 2015|Categories: For Activists, For Supporters, Intersectional Issues, Personal Narratives|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I discovered the Wikipedia page for asexuality in January of 2008. By September of the same year, I had PTSD. These two facts are not unrelated. The story is sickeningly cliche, to be honest. Young Queenie discovers asexuality a month and a half into her first romantic relationship. When she comes out to her boyfriend, he tells her, “You’re not asexual; we just haven’t tried the right things yet.” Young Queenie doesn’t have enough knowledge or self-confidence to stand her ground. Boyfriend pushes at her boundaries, seeing how far he can overstep them before Queenie freaks out and throws him off her or…

An Ace Survivor’s Manifesto

By | 2018-04-09T02:40:20-04:00 August 13th, 2015|Categories: By & For Ace Survivors, Coping Strategies, Intersectional Issues, Self Care|Tags: , , , , , |

I am allowed to occupy space in the universe, regardless of how “difficult” or “complicated” or “messy” I may be. I am allowed to identify as a survivor or a victim or something else entirely. I am allowed to identify as asexual, even if I don’t know whether past experiences “caused” or “contributed to” my asexuality. I am allowed to use the words that work best for me. I am not required to defend my sexual orientation because of my status as a survivor. I am not required to defend my status as a survivor because of my sexual orientation.