Tyger Songbird
(He/Him)
As seen in:
Medium,
LGBTQ Nation
Covers:
Asexuality, Aromanticism LGBTQIA+ Rights, Teaching, Books, Literature, Sports, Education, progressivism, politics, television, media representation
I'm the Ace of Spades.
I write about being aromantic asexual.
I also love classical music & trivia.
@TAAAP, He/Him
tygersongbird.substack.com/
Articles by Tyger Songbird
JK Rowling said asexual people don't face discrimination. She couldn't be more wrong.
April 6 is International Asexuality Day. It’s a day that was created by asexual activists (including model Yasmin Benoit) to highlight how asexuality is an oftentimes invisible orientation that many people may not know about, even if it is what they truly are. International Asexuality Day is also a day to discuss topics related to asexuality, such as research, media representation, and many other topics. Don’t tell that to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
Finding out I am asexual has helped me come into my own
I remember a day during my senior year when all my friends and classmates were talking about plans after high school. Eventually, the question got around to whether or not to have kids and get married. Everybody said they wanted marriage and kids. When the conversation got around to me, I remember the look of astonishment when I told them I never wanted to get married or have sex and that I was looking to get a vasectomy because I didn’t want any kids.
Ace researcher explains why 31% of people think asexuality can be "cured"
King’s College London published a study in February regarding people’s attitudes about asexuality. The study found interesting results, including that nearly a third of respondents believed that asexuality could be cured through conversion therapy. I discussed the results of this study and more with the study’s sponsor, Yasmin Benoit. Benoit is an asexual activist and model who became the first asexual grand marshal at New York City’s Pride March in 2023.
Delaware Seeks to Extend Protections to Include Pansexuality, Asexuality
Delaware’s HB275 would be a historic first for both communities On December 14, 2023, Delaware state Rep. Eric Morrison (D) along with Sen. Sarah McBride (D) and Sen. Marie Pinkney (D) introduced bill HB 275. The bill would add pansexuality and asexuality to Delaware’s anti-discrimination code to prevent discrimination in housing, employment, and insurance. It passed the committee to the House on March 14.
Oklahoma’s culture wars killed Nex Benedict. They’re also why I quit teaching.
I am officially a former teacher in Oklahoma. I taught special education for five years. Before that, I was a paraprofessional for four years. I’ve had a lot of experiences in education. I worked as a teacher, coached my middle school’s trivia team, coordinated the district’s trivia league, and worked as an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) case manager. I worked on the clock and off the clock to be a great teacher. I was district coordinator for my district’s trivia quiz bowl.
Stereotypes & media about Black masculinity made it harder to come out as asexual
I am an asexual man. Just saying that makes me sound so countercultural. Being an asexual man in a culture that depicts men as sex-crazed creatures often makes me feel like an alien outcast. It is countercultural being an asexual man, to say the least. From movies like American Pie and Revenge of the Nerds to television shows like The Big Bang Theory, That ’70s Show, and Friends, Hollywood has depicted men as being sex-crazed hound dogs who would do anything for sex.
Purity culture made me feel trapped. Finding asexuality set me free.
My life story is interlaced with religion. I grew up in the church. My late grandmother was a deaconess. My mother sang in the church choir. My brother is currently a pastor. I also grew up in the Bible Belt, where you can’t go one intersection without running into a church. The church has been a major influence on my life. Church and purity culture are things I am well-versed in.
I am sex-repulsed & sex-positive. The two are not contradictory.
Asexuality is a wide spectrum full of people with different ideas about sex. Here are the three predominant attitudes about sex that asexual people tend to hold: Sex-favorable: “Sex-favorable means that an individual may be open to experiencing sexual activity,” . A sex-favorable asexual person may enjoy sex for many reasons, such as feeling closer to their partner, pleasing their partner, or enjoying the physical sensations related to sex.
Virgin-shaming hurts everyone, including asexual people like me
I turned 33 years old in May. I celebrated the occasion with friends, spending the night on the town and having a blast. My 33rd birthday was a significant birthday for me for two reasons. For starters, my birthday marked seven years since officially discovering I’m asexual. My asexual journey was a long-winding road full of angst, introspection, and inner turmoil, culminating in joy and a newly discovered self. I was so glad I could celebrate the occasion with my best friends supporting me.
We need an asexual revolution
We need a sexual revolution where both the decision to have sex and to not have sex are respected equally in upholding bodily autonomy. We need a sexual revolution where the media depicts virginity as neither negative nor positive but rather as a non-sequitur—where the amount of sexual partners one has had (if any) does not define a person’s character. We need a sexual revolution that depicts those who forgo sex, for whatever reason, as normal instead of jokes.
Asexuality is "the hot new thing" thanks to this trailblazing podcaster
Hailing from the city of love, Aline Laurent-Mayard is a journalist, author, actor, and podcaster. They have written for publications such as Le Monde and Slate, published two books about gender in pop culture, and most recently have been featured in season 12 of the French tv drama Skam France . Aline is also the creator of the podcast series Free From Desire, which narrates their journey to discovering they are asexual, a journey laden with angst, trials, and tribulations.
Yasmin Benoit is NYC Pride's first asexual grand marshal & she's ready to change the status quo
Hailing from across the pond, Yasmin Benoit is one of the most prominent asexual activists today, with a following of over 60K on Instagram. The fashion and lingerie model uses her platform to highlight issues and topics surrounding asexuality with the goal of breaking stereotypes and misconceptions. Benoit is the creator of the hashtag #Thisiswhatasexuallookslike, which she and fellow aces use to highlight the diversity of the asexual community.
Let's stop pressuring people to be in relationships this Valentine's Day
“You complete me!” “You’re my one, true love!” “My Sweetheart!” “You’re my soulmate!” “You’re my one and only!” “All I need is you!” That’s just a list of statements that society oftentimes expects partners to say to one another on Valentine’s Day. Open up any Hallmark card for Valentine’s Day, and you will find a card with one of those above statements in it to some degree. Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest commercial events of the year. In 2022, .
Even Though I’m Asexual, I Still Struggle With Virgin-Shaming
Society’s shaming of virgins impacts asexual people like me, even if we don’t want to have sex. We need a new sexual revolution where the decision to not have sex is permitted to exist. I need to be transparent for a minute. I’ve had something on my mind for quite a long time. I need to get this off my chest. So, bear with me. I feel ashamed to be a virgin many days. That sounds silly, but I some days feel embarrassed to be a virgin.
Will Somebody Please Think of the Children? Conservative America Won’t.
Conservatives love to use children as a cudgel to attack LGBTQ+ people, but policies prove they don’t really care about children. “Think about the children!” That is a phrase conservatives love to invoke to stigmatize LGBTQ+ people, to justify excluding LGBTQ+ people from equal rights. Conservatives love to use children as political props to whip up moral panic.
The Republican Party is the Westboro Baptist Church
The Republican Party is no better than the Westboro Baptist Church. It is in many ways worse. The Republican Party is the Westboro Baptist Church! The picture above says much about what the Republican Party is today. Republicans like to invoke Westboro Baptist when defending themselves from accusations of being queerphobic bigots: “Hey, we’re not homophobic! We’re not like the Westboro Baptist Church or something! We’re not as bad as them!” Republicans, I’m here to say you are flat-out wrong.
Republicans Are Working to Turn America Into a Christian Iran
Republicans love to condemn Iran’s theocratic fascism, but choose Christian nationalism over liberty and justice for all. Republicans love to condemn Iran’s theocratic fascism, deeming it autocratic and iron-fisted. Republicans love to decry how sadistic and tyrannical regimes like Iran are, but that appears to be pure hypocrisy considering how hard they’re working to usher in Christian nationalism, which they might accomplish if they take over Congress in 2022.
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