HOLLAND, Mich. — A few dozen people filed into Haworth Hotel at Hope College on Monday night to learn about asexuality from a panel of four "aces." It was part of a Pride Month event put on by Out On The Lakeshore.
"It's an orientation that isn't always discussed in the media in the way that it probably should be," said Kate Leighton-Colburn, who serves as the executive director of Out On The Lakeshore.
"Asexuality is defined as someone who doesn't experience sexual attraction toward anyone of any gender or orientation. That doesn't mean they don't experience other forms of attraction. They can experience forms of romantic attraction, platonic relationships, things like that."
Asexuality is a spectrum that includes many different identities. During the discussion, each panelist shared what asexuality means to them. Leighton-Colburn said giving people a voice like that is important, especially during Pride Month.
"Pride Month started as a celebration for primarily gay and lesbian individuals, but that's not even close to all of the different identities that exist in this spectrum," she said.
"It really means a lot to me, and I think it means a lot to the entire community, that we make sure that we're highlighting diverse voices throughout this month. The whole point of Pride Month is inclusivity, and if we're excluding different identities throughout the celebration, it misses the whole point."
There will also be more opportunities to participate in similar discussions in the future.
"Next Monday, we will have our next Diverse Voices Speaker Series, which is 'The Silenced Killer: AIDS Then and Now' at the Holland Museum. That's going to be a really interesting panel with individuals who lived through and experienced the AIDS crisis, and also individuals who work in the medical field to talk about advances," Leighton-Colburn said.
Out On The Lakeshore also has a full list of Holland Pride events on its website.
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