May 2023 Carnival of Aces Call for Submissions: Changing Labels

Label makers. Image source.

Hi everyone, I am hosting the Carnival of Aces this month. 

A Carnival of Aces is a monthly blogging carnival centered on the asexual spectrum (asexuals, gray-As, demisexuals, etc.).  Anyone can participate, but responses should deal with asexuality or the asexual spectrum, and they should relate to the month’s theme (which is announced each month by the host).  Responses should postdate the call for submissions.  Alternate forms of media besides blogs are also welcome as long as they deal with the prompt.  If you’re not sure whether your piece is okay, submit it anyway and we’ll figure it out.

For this month, the topic is "Changing Labels." 

It's about what identity labels we use to describe ourselves. Queer labels, ace-related labels, gender identity labels, or other labels. The reasons why people choose certain labels and then maybe later change them.

Some possible topics to write about:

• If you used some label but then changed to a different one- why? Or if you used some label (for example, bi) and then later added another label (for example, bi and asexual), what did that process look like?
• Is there a label you used before, but don't use now? Is it because you believe it doesn't apply to you, or because you feel it's not necessary to have a label for that? (Or some other reason?)
• Perhaps you haven't changed the label you use, but the way you understand it now is different than when you first started using it. (For example, you feel more confident about it than you did initially, you define it differently, you emphasize different aspects of it, etc.) In what ways do you feel differently about it now?
• Do you use different labels in different situations? (This may depend on who you're coming out to, how much time you want to spend explaining yourself, the specific reason why you're coming out to them, etc...)
• How can the ace community support people during their process of figuring out their identity (and possibly changing labels, choosing to ID as ace temporarily, etc)?

The August 2022 carnival had a similar topic- "Labels and Microlabels"- you can read those posts for ideas too.

To submit your post: Leave a comment on this post, or email me at perfectnumber628 at gmail.com. (If I don't reply, send it again, because it might have gone to spam.)

Happy blogging everyone~