A OK

Raymond (he/him) is an LGBTQIA+ activist and erotica photographer who identifies as aromantic and queer fluid. Raymond talks about how being trans relates to how he figured out his orientation; how being a leatherboy intersects with his identities; and how the BDSM community emphasizes self love, consent, and healing. 

 

Warnings: mentions of abuse, swearing

 

Organizations to Donate to:

ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/;

Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/;

Black Visions Collective: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/; 

Black Women’s Blueprint: https://www.blackwomensblueprint.org/;

Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/;

Color of Change: https://colorofchange.org/;

Grass Roots Law Project: https://www.grassrootslaw.org/;

LGBTQ Freedom Fund: https://www.lgbtqfund.org/;

Minnesota Justice Healing Network: https://www.minnesotahealingjusticenetwork.com/;

MN Fund Hub (@MNFundHub on Venmo): https://www.instagram.com/p/CA545NzlYy7/?igshid=1mmwhtr38zx2y; 

MPLS NAACP: http://www.mplsnaacp.org/;

NAACP: https://www.naacp.org/;

NAACP Legal Defense Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org/;

National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory;

Reclaim The Block: https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2;

List of local Minneapolis organizations by Reclaim the Block: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLWGTQIe3967hdc9RSxBq5s6KKZHe-3_mWp5oemd7OA/preview?fbclid=IwAR2O4n_VtcNoIyJQ9hoKoLbgz2BxsDVvMEpHQt8Zg1CXpYnGFzVB3eLdlMw&pru=AAABcp_Lno4*qTdCXtwQfeYVP204YSPOkw;

 

Special Thanks: 

Editor/Producer: Sofi LaLonde; 

Visual Artist: Tanner Groehler;

Music: A OK by ÜberKicK is licensed under a Creative Commons License. 

And thank you to our wonderful patrons at https://www.patreon.com/AOKpod!

David Jay (he/him) is the founder of AVEN and an ace activist, parent, and community organizer. David talks about his own experience discovering asexuality as a sexuality and not a disorder, how AVEN (The Asexual Visibility and Education Network) started, his journey as a third parent, and why aromantic relationships are awesome.

 

AVEN: www.asexuality.org

 

Organizations to Donate to:

ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/;

Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/;

Black Visions Collective: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/; 

Black Women’s Blueprint: https://www.blackwomensblueprint.org/;

Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/;

Color of Change: https://colorofchange.org/;

Grass Roots Law Project: https://www.grassrootslaw.org/;

LGBTQ Freedom Fund: https://www.lgbtqfund.org/;

Minnesota Justice Healing Network: https://www.minnesotahealingjusticenetwork.com/;

MN Fund Hub (@MNFundHub on Venmo): https://www.instagram.com/p/CA545NzlYy7/?igshid=1mmwhtr38zx2y; 

MPLS NAACP: http://www.mplsnaacp.org/;

NAACP: https://www.naacp.org/;

NAACP Legal Defense Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org/;

National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory;

Reclaim The Block: https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2;

List of local Minneapolis organizations by Reclaim the Block: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLWGTQIe3967hdc9RSxBq5s6KKZHe-3_mWp5oemd7OA/preview?fbclid=IwAR2O4n_VtcNoIyJQ9hoKoLbgz2BxsDVvMEpHQt8Zg1CXpYnGFzVB3eLdlMw&pru=AAABcp_Lno4*qTdCXtwQfeYVP204YSPOkw;

 

Special Thanks: 

Editor/Producer: Sofi LaLonde; 

Visual Artist: Tanner Groehler;

Music: A OK by ÜberKicK is licensed under a Creative Commons License. 

And thank you to our wonderful patrons at https://www.patreon.com/AOKpod!

Official George Floyd Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd;

Justice for Breonna Taylor: https://www.gofundme.com/f/9v4q2-justice-for-breonna-taylor;

In Memory of Tony McDade: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-tony-mcdade;

I Run With Maud (Ahmaud Arbery Fund): https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud;

Justice for David McAtee: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justicefordavidmcatee;

For James Scurlock’s Family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/for-james-scurlocks-family;

 

Organizations:

ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/;

Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/;

Black Visions Collective: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/; 

Black Women’s Blueprint: https://www.blackwomensblueprint.org/;

Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/;

Color of Change: https://colorofchange.org/;

Grass Roots Law Project: https://www.grassrootslaw.org/;

LGBTQ Freedom Fund: https://www.lgbtqfund.org/;

Minnesota Justice Healing Network: https://www.minnesotahealingjusticenetwork.com/;

MN Fund Hub (@MNFundHub on Venmo): https://www.instagram.com/p/CA545NzlYy7/?igshid=1mmwhtr38zx2y; 

MPLS NAACP: http://www.mplsnaacp.org/;

NAACP: https://www.naacp.org/;

NAACP Legal Defense Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org/;

National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory;

Reclaim The Block: https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2;

List of local Minneapolis organizations by Reclaim the Block: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLWGTQIe3967hdc9RSxBq5s6KKZHe-3_mWp5oemd7OA/preview?fbclid=IwAR2O4n_VtcNoIyJQ9hoKoLbgz2BxsDVvMEpHQt8Zg1CXpYnGFzVB3eLdlMw&pru=AAABcp_Lno4*qTdCXtwQfeYVP204YSPOkw;

 

Education:

Black Revolutionary Texts from Alijah Webb (@webbjalijah): https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/18y0_2wm85L113fVWYdgljq9uuIlmlbl3;

Justice in June Lesson Plan from Bryanna Wallace and Autumn Gupta (@autumn_bry): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-Vxs6jEUByXylMS2BjGH1kQ7mEuZnHpPSs1Bpaqmw0/preview?pru=AAABcprdPWw*VqdZIggAtO_pcSbYVK1l4Q; 

An Anti-Racist Reading List by Ibram X. Kendi for NYT (@DrIbram): https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/books/review/antiracist-reading-list-ibram-x-kendi.html;

Scaffolded Anti-Racist Resources by Anna Stamborski, Nikki Zimmermann, and Bailie Gregory: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PrAq4iBNb4nVIcTsLcNlW8zjaQXBLkWayL8EaPlh0bc/mobilebasic;

Anti-Racism Resources for White People: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/preview?pru=AAABcpsa6cw*8jY8IGfWoGhQH-4joitfcg;

Reading for Racial Justice by University of Minnesota Press’s Library of Open-Access Titles: https://manifold.umn.edu/projects/project-collection/racial-justice;

Anti-Racism Resource Collection: http://www.resourcesharingproject.org/anti-racism-resource-collection; 

 

Black owned businesses:

Thread of black owned businesses from Alyssa D Silos (@Alythuh on twitter): https://twitter.com/Alythuh/status/1267846692482605057;

That Pride Shop: https://thatprideshop.com/;

Gothic Lamb: https://gothiclamb.com/;

Black owned businesses in the Twin Cities by Mpls St Paul Magazine: http://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/black-owned-businesses-in-the-twin-cities/;

Ria Faustino (she/her) is an aspiring animator and full-time weeb who identifies as asexual and aromantic. Ria talks about her journey discovering her asexuality, her senior project, and Dungeons and Dragons.

 

Special Thanks: 

Editor/Producer: Sofi LaLonde; 

Visual Artist: Tanner Groehler;

Music: A OK by ÜberKicK is licensed under a Creative Commons License. 

And thank you to our wonderful patrons at https://www.patreon.com/AOKpod!

Ess (they/them) is a voice actor who identifies as asexual and aromantic. Ess talks about growing up in India, their previous misconceptions around marriage, and their journey to discovering their gender identity.

 

Special Thanks: 

Editor/Producer: Sofi LaLonde; 

Visual Artist: Tanner Groehler;

Music: A OK by ÜberKicK is licensed under a Creative Commons License. 

And thank you to our wonderful patrons at https://www.patreon.com/AOKpod!

Josh (he/him) is an engineering student in recovery who identifies as asexual and panromantic. Josh talks about his journey with recovery and how the split attraction model helped him come to terms with his asexuality.

 

Josh's bandcamp: https://joshispeachy.bandcamp.com/releases

 

Special Thanks: 

Editor/Producer: Sofi LaLonde; 

Visual Artist: Tanner Groehler;

Music: A OK by ÜberKicK is licensed under a Creative Commons License. 

And thank you to our wonderful patrons at https://www.patreon.com/AOKpod!

Ezra (he/him) is a cat dad who identifies as aromantic. Ezra talks about the importance of aromanticism in his life, not identifying under the split-attraction model, and his experience with witchcraft and tarot reading.

 

Special Thanks: 

Editor/Producer: Sofi LaLonde; 

Visual Artist: Tanner Groehler;

Music: A OK by ÜberKicK is licensed under a Creative Commons License. 

And thank you to our wonderful patrons at https://www.patreon.com/AOKpod!

Sherry (she/her) is a future law student who identifies as asexual and aromantic. Sherry responds to a list of arguments against aces and aros being in the LGBTQ+ community, pulled from a thread on A OK’s twitter page. 

 

Donate to the WHO/United Nations COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund here: http://tinyurl.com/DONATE6feet 

Watch the livestream on Saturday, May 2nd @ 11am PDT / 2pm EDT / 7pm BST here: http://tinyurl.com/WATCH6feet 

 

Special Thanks: 

Editor/Producer: Sofi LaLonde; 

Visual Artist: Tanner Groehler;

Music: A OK by ÜberKicK is licensed under a Creative Commons License. 

And thank you to our wonderful patrons at https://www.patreon.com/AOKpod!

Melissa Caruso (she/her) is a fantasy author who identifies as biromantic and asexual. Melissa talks about coming out to her husband and children, her secret to writing allosexual characters, and her upcoming book, The Obsidian Tower. 

 

AVEN (asexuality.org);

Empire of the Sand by Tasha Suri (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39714124-empire-of-sand);

Melissa Caruso's website: melissacaruso.net;

Melissa's Twitter: @melisscaru;

 

Donate to the WHO/United Nations COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund here: http://tinyurl.com/DONATE6feet 

Watch the livestream on Saturday, May 2nd @ 11am PDT / 2pm EDT / 7pm BST here: http://tinyurl.com/WATCH6feet 

 

Special Thanks: 

Editor/Producer: Sofi LaLonde; 

Visual Artist: Tanner Groehler;

Music: A OK by ÜberKicK is licensed under a Creative Commons License. 

And thank you to our wonderful patrons at https://www.patreon.com/AOKpod!

Chris (he/him) is an escape room enthusiast who is homoromantic graysexual. Chris talks about "getting comfortable with" asexuality, his experience dating, and his adventures in 60+ escape rooms.

 

Content Warnings: mentions of genital mutilation

 

Special Thanks: 

Editor/Producer: Sofi LaLonde; 

Visual Artist: Tanner Groehler;

Music: A OK by ÜberKicK is licensed under a Creative Commons License. 

And thank you to our wonderful patrons at https://www.patreon.com/AOKpod!