February 20-26 is Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week. Most of us will know an aromantic person, even if we don’t identify with the label ourselves, so it’s a great opportunity to learn more about what that means so that we can be better allies to aromantic people.

Aromanticism is a romantic orientation, which is different to a sexual orientation. Aromantic people may be gay or lesbian, bi or asexual, but for the most this sexual orientation is separate from ideas of romance.

Romantic norms vary a lot over time and between cultures, and even those who experience romantic attraction might not want to buy into the full Hollywood/Valentines Day thing, but being aromantic is more than that.

People who are aromantic experience little or no romantic attraction and don’t have any desire to feel that way. Like every orientation, aromanticism is on a spectrum; demiromantic and greyromantic people, who only experience romantic attraction rarely or under some circumstances, are also included under the aromantic umbrella.

People who are aromantic may feel that:

• They don’t experience feelings of romantic attraction
• They don’t need a romantic relationship to feel complete or fulfilled
• They don’t experience “crushes” or being “in love” with someone else
• They have a hard time relating to romantic stories

This doesn’t mean that aromantic people don’t want partners or are incapable of intimate relationships. They may develop relationships based on shared interests, mutual respect, or forming a family. However, such relationships may be based on a different sense of love to a romantic one, such as platonic love, or the love you feel for family members.

It is important to remember that aromantic is not a one-size-fits-all label. Aromantic people vary a lot, and the best way to learn more is to believe people about their romantic orientation and listen respectfully to their lived experience. Hopefully the information here is a small step toward an increased understanding of aromanticism.

For more information on Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week and what it means to be aromantic visit arospecweek.org.

And if you think you may be aromantic there’s some useful information here.