Heather Muriel Nguyen (they/them) is an asexual, non-binary, and Vietnamese-American filmmaker passionate about visceral stories that center queer and trans characters of color grappling with intergenerational trauma and self-love. Their films build a multiverse of unapologetically queer stories with captivating platonic relationships.
The Troubling Origins of Queer Labeling: Reflecting on Kadji Amin’s Guest Lecture at UCLA
In Fall 2022, guest lecturer, Kadji Amin (he/him) of Emory University, presented his article “Taxonomically Queer?: Sexology and New Queer, Trans, and Asexual Identities.” I was nervous entering a room packed with mostly graduate students and professors, but when Professor Amin walked on the stage, my nerves melted away. I was gripped by his every word. Not only was his lecture the best one I’ve heard so far, but he was the first Asian trans professor I’d ever seen. As an Asian trans man myself, it was life-changing to see someone like me dedicating his life to studying people like us.
Kit Connor, Biphobia, And The “Perfect” Bisexual
On Oct. 31, 2022, Kit Conner, one of the stars of Netflix’s “Heartstopper,” took to Twitter to announce his bisexuality. He wrote, “back for a minute. i’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. bye.” Fans of the show were quick to reply with messages of support. Many of the replies empathized with him, as viewers were upset that he was forced to relinquish parts of his private life after facing accusations of “queerbaiting” when he was spotted with a girl around his age.
Asexual Awareness Week 2022: Our Experiences
Ace Week 2022 is ending today. We asked some of our staff about their experiences with having identities on the asexual spectrum.
Back in My Day, We Stayed Closeted in Middle School
Illustrated by Steph Liu (She/Her) This article was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 1 zine “Queer Rage, Resistance, & Renaissance.“ Personally, middle school is neither a place nor a period of my life I ever need to revisit,…
13 Things That Are Ace Culture
graphic by Angela Zheng. Contributing authors: Jasper & Angela Zheng Several months ago, I was shocked to hear someone say there’s no distinctive culture in the ace community. While I agree that it’s impossible for everybody along the ace-spectrum to…
Platonic Love and Adamantium-Based Mountains
On Valentine’s Day, the online newsmagazine Wear Your Voice: Intersectional Feminist Media published the article “Platonic Love: Relationships Are More than Just Sex.” (http://wearyourvoicemag.com/2016/02/12/platonic-love-relationships-just-sex/) hyperlink? The article goes into the importance and complexity of platonic relationships and creates the space…
ABCs: D is for Demi(Sexual/Gender)
We often hear “demi”in the context of demigods. Many demigods (in Greek mythology) were children of Zeus or Poseidon, and legend has it that these mythological figures tended to become infatuated with mortal humans quite often. But wait a minute.…
OKCupid Adventures
Image by OutWrite So I’m on OkCupid. Originally, I saw my roommate on Tinder and thought that it looked fun to collect hot people but my Windows Lumia phone couldn’t support the app. Recently, I found the knockoff version of…
ABCs: A for Asexual
Asexuality is a sexuality in which a person does not experience sexual attraction to another person. This is not the same as celibacy or abstinence, in which a person may experience sexual attraction but refrains from sexual activity. Additionally, this…
