Cecilia Miller is a lesbian love warrior and educator fighting for queer justice and ensuring every shade of the rainbow shines bright & bold!
Anyone can feel attached to or identify with a diversity of gender identities and/or sexual orientations. And as evermore definitions have been popularised over the years to embody the emotions and experiences of queer people, it can be hard to keep up.
If you are not totally absorbed in LGBTQ+ culture or the rainbow community, you may not appreciate these lesser-known sexual orientations and gender identities – most of which have a lack of representation in mainstream media.
One such term is aroflux, so we are going to define and cover what does aroflux mean, speak about the aroflux pride flag, and then provide some tips to help you become a better ally to aroflux people.
In this article we will cover...
What Does Aroflux Mean?
Aroflux people are individuals whose sexuality fluctuates from being aromantic to alloromantic. Their romantic orientation will, however, stay within the aromantic spectrum.
Aroflux originates from “Aro” and “flux”. “Aro” is a short form for aromantic, and the suffix “flux” represents gender change or fluctuating. Aroflux is also a romantic relation that wavers between being aromantic to alloromantic. It can be neutral meaning that it is somewhere between aromantic and alloromantic.
Aroflux people identify with either of the above definitions. When you fluctuate between experiencing romantic attraction and being in the aromantic spectrum, you are aroflux. For instance, some people sometimes experience romantic affection and significant romantic attraction to their partners. Other times, they may experience repulsion of romantic attraction and zero romance.
Yet, on other occasions, they aren’t sure of what they feel and are torn between being attracted to their partner and rejecting them for days, weeks, or even months. People who are aroflux can be indifferent, repulsed, apathetic towards romance, neutral, or even experience positive feelings of romance.
Aroflux individuals may have little attraction today, have no interest a different day, and other times feel attraction. Just like other identities, people who are aroflux can have a different sexual orientation.
Aroflux Pride Flag Meaning
There are many different pride flags symbolizing most queer identities, so it should come as no surprise there is a flag for aroflux people to proudly fly.
The aroflux flag has five stripes. These stripes create a gradient between red and green. Red represents alloromantics, and green is for aromantics. The gradient shows that aroflux people can move from being aromantic to being strongly alloromantic.
An alternative aroflux flag was designed on 16th February 2020 by Tumblr user the-circus. This flag has maintained the same colors as the original flag. It aimed to remove eye strain resulting from the initial flag. A second alternative flag was made on 14th January 2021 by Fandom user Starri-Night.
This new flag uses pink to represent people with strong alloromantic feelings and Black to represent the absence of romantic attraction. Grey is for people who identify as somewhere between romantic and alloromantic.
Aroflux Pride Day
Education, visibility, commemoration, and appreciation are all critical in promoting global acceptance and acknowledgment of queer identities and queer folx in general. And from experience, we know it is easier for aroflux individuals to talk to friends and loved ones – and to feel the love – when a worldwide day for aroflux is observed. Not to mention it also helps foster awareness and increased sensitivities from society at large.
So, mark your calendar and do something special (even if it’s just a social media post!) for Ace Week (there is no specific Aroflux Pride Day yet) next October 24th to 30th.
Other Aroflux Information to Help You Be a Better Ally
To be an ally to aroflux people, you need to have a solid and genuine concern for their emotional well-being. You should be able to accept, support, and advocate for their fair treatment and rights as human beings.
No aroflux experience is identical to another. You can’t tell whether someone is aroflux by looking at them, observing their personality, or their physical aesthetic. None of these characteristics can provide a clue as to how a person identifies, and this is as true for aroflux individuals as it is for any gender or sexual orientation.
The first thing you should do as an ally to aroflux people is to believe them when they tell you about their identity. Don’t try to argue them out of it or make the mistake of thinking you could know more about how they feel than they do. It could also help if you worked on your mindset. Working on your attitude means you challenge your concept of gender, sexuality, and sex.
After all, if you have any issues with understanding aroflux people, the root cause is bound in your understanding of gender and sexuality – not theirs. Educating yourself (as you are by reading about what does aroflux mean!) is an excellent first step to increase your awareness and not make your lack of knowledge in this area a burden on them.
There aren’t any explicit rules or guidelines, but here are some thoughts on how you can be a better ally and support a loved one as you discover what it means to be aroflux. Here’ what you should understand.
Get Informed About Aroflux
You cannot be an ally to aroflux people if you don’t have knowledge about sexual and gender identity or information related to them at the wider LGBT community. It would be best to educate yourself and stay informed. Do your research but try not to put the burden of education on aroflux individuals.
Take the initiative, get on Google, or join forums in Tumblr or other social sites that will help you learn more about aroflux. Never ask aroflux individuals questions about their orientation or identity unless they have verbally expressed their willingness to speak about it.
If You’re in a Relationship with Aroflux Individual
Since aroflux individuals fluctuate from aromantic to alloromantic, it is essential to establish an understanding through clear communication. The biggest challenge of being in a relationship with an aroflux individual is when there is repulsion or little romantic attraction to their partners.
Dating asexual people can be difficult and a relationship with aroflux individuals can be confusing and challenging, especially to their partners. The partner may feel unwanted when the aroflux individual doesn’t experience romantic attraction to them. Even if the situation changes and they experience attraction again, the partner is likely to experience emotional turmoil because of their partner’s inconsistency or lack of romantic interest.
If dating an aroflux individual, understand their emotions and be ready for a romantic rollercoaster. Aroflux people experience fluctuations in romantic feelings. Aroflux individuals are super romantic at sometimes, other times neutral, and sometimes are repulsed romance or have no feelings of attraction at all.
Unlike most people who experience a natural flow of romantic feelings, aroflux individuals experience many variations over time. Therefore, to establish a great relationship with aroflux individuals, both partners need adequate communication to understand each other.
Do Not Label Aroflux Individuals
While some people are comfortable with labels, not everyone is. Allow the aroflux individual to choose whether or not they want a title.
Remember that aroflux is a valid identity, and believe an aroflux individual when they tell you who they are. There’s nothing wrong with them, so please don’t suggest medical intervention. Feelings of aroflux people are valid, and so is their identity.
Use the Right Pronouns
Before you assume what someone’s pronouns are, always ask. If you’re addressing a large gathering, make sure you use gender-neutral pronouns such as they/them, folks, everyone rather than “ladies and gentlemen”, “ he/him”, or “she/her”.
Introduce yourself by your preferred pronouns if you don’t know what someone’s pronouns are. For example, you could say, “Hi, my name is Patrick. I go by he/him. How about you?”
This isn’t specifically relevant to aroflux people, but it will make you a better ally overall and show your support for the wider rainbow community.
Accept and Respect Individuals Who Identify Aroflux
An essential part of being an ally to aroflux individuals is to accept them for who they are. You should therefore respect their decisions about their identity. If you are an ally to aroflux individuals and you witness them experiencing discrimination, make sure you call it out and let the person doing it know that it’s wrong and unacceptable.
Call out people that discriminate against them and educate them about sexual orientation. While having conversations with aroflux individuals, don’t pressure them to find solutions. It is their identity, so they will seek help when they are ready or need it. Always strive to establish a deeper connection with aroflux people.
When aroflux individuals experience zero romance towards their partners, seek to assist them in finding other ways to show love. Don’t rely on romantic attraction only; establish a connection based on love. Avoid hurting aroflux individuals.
Accept them for who they are and spread the love language.
