By

~

I never really fit in with the rest of my friends. Everyone started having crushes at such young ages, and I never really understood why. Of course, being so young I could always be a late bloomer.

But as it continued, I began getting very confused. I always thought I was straight because I saw it as my only option. I didn't even know about lgbtq+ people until fourth grade, and I didn't consider it very much.

The media is so heavily focused on straight people and relationships that I never even thought about it much.

I never really knew I had a problem until sixth grade, when "dating" really began (I put it in quotes because dating in middle school is not really love). I was talking to my friend about on science class on the most exciting day of the year (THE DAY WE MADE ICE CREAM!!!) about lgbtq+. I told her about my problem: "I've never had a genuine crush besides a few I pretended to have to fit in. I just don't want to date or get married... is there a name for that?"

"That's called asexual."

Then it clicked. I'm asexual!

Later I looked it up and found out that I'm aromantic/asexual, and I've never been happier since. The lgbtq+ community has become my family.