Why AZE?
AZE is a literary and art journal that publishes works from asexual, aromantic, and agender perspectives. In 2016, it was established as The Asexual journal with a focus on being a space for asexual voices. It expanded its focus under the name AZE in 2019, based on an understanding of azeness, or “the experiences of ‘absence’ that are shared by asexual, aromantic, and agender people amidst the norms and expectations of cisheteropatriarchy,” as defined by Michael Paramo (the journal’s creator and editor). More than a space for representation, AZE seeks to question the norms of gender and sexuality that were established through centuries of colonial/capitalist power and understand how they contradict the totality of the human experience (which includes aze experiences).
What does AZE publish?
AZE has a community-centered focus, meaning that it seeks to publish works based on outreach over other metrics. Since 2016, the journal has published hundreds of works, including research articles, personal essays, poetry, visual art, audiovisual content, and other works that explore and exemplify the nuances of (a)sexuality, (a)romanticism, and (a)gender identity in the modern/colonial world. To check AZE’s current call for submissions, see azejournal.com/submit.
Loveless by Alice Oseman
Where is AZE recognized?
Works published in AZE have been cited in several academic journals, including Sexualities (in 2023), Feminist Formations (in 2020), Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (in 2019 and 2025), and Communication Education (in 2022), as well as in books like the Handbook for Human Sexuality Counseling (2022) and Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives (2024). AZE is also listed as a community resource in popular sources such as Alice Oseman’s Loveless (2022) and by the aces and aros advocacy project. For a full list of where AZE’s works are cited:
2026
“Elizabeth I – Turning Gender Roles into Gender Equality” for Gender Roles vs. Gender Equality by Mimi Yang (IntechOpen, 2026).
2025
“Suicide-related outcomes in a cross-sectional, national sample of transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive Black, Indigenous, and other people of color” for Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity by Gamio Cuervo et. al. (2025).
“Supporting Asexual- and Aromantic-Spectrum Individuals in Therapy: Challenging Community-Specific Hardships and Compulsory Sexuality and Romanticism” for Addressing Minority Stress and Enhancing Resilience with Diverse LGBTQ+ Clients by Caroline Bauer (2025).
2024
How We Make Each Other: Trans Life at the Edge of the University by Perry Zurn (Duke University Press, 2024).
Ending the Pursuit: Asexuality, Aromanticism, and Agender Identity by Michael Paramo (Unbound, 2024).
“Cripping Cis: Rethinking Cisgender within a Disability Critique” for The Journal of Philosophy of Disability by Perry Zurn (2024).
“Asexual Kinship Capitalism, Reproduction, and an Imperiality of Asexuality” for Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives, Revised and Expanded Ten-Year Anniversary Edition by Eunjung Kim (Routledge, 2024).
Single at Heart: The Power, Freedom and Joy of Single Life by Bella DePaulo (Souvenir Press, 2024).
“Toward a Global Asexual Solidarity Beyond Identity” by Yo-Ling Chen in Asexualities (Routledge, 2024).
“#Platonicintimacy: Asian North American Asexualities and Their Fairytales” by Theresa N and Kenney in Asexualities (Routledge, 2024).
2023
“Contested intersections: Asexuality and disability, illness, or trauma” by Anna Kurowicka. Sexualities (2023).
Ace and Aro Journeys: A Guide to Embracing Your Asexual or Aromantic Identity by The Ace and Aro Advocacy Project (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2023).
2022
Ace Voices: What it Means to Be Asexual, Aromantic, Demi or Grey-Ace by Eris Young. (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2022).
"Digital sexual identities: Between empowerment and disempowerment" by Nicola Döring, Deevia Bhana, and Kath Albury. Current Opinion in Psychology 48, 101466 (2022): 1-7.
"Towards an asexual-affirming communication pedagogy" by Ben Brandley and Angela Labrador. Communication Education 48, 101466 (2022): 1-7.
"Chapter 8: The Multidimensional Nature of Attraction" by Stacey Diane A. Litam and Megan Speciale in Handbook for Human Sexuality Counseling: A Sex Positive Approach, Edited by Angela M. Schubert and Mark Pope. (John Wiley & Sons, 2022).
"Asexual Latina/o/x Representation in AZE" by Janeth Montenegro Marquez. Feral Feminisms 10, no. 2 (2022): 13-15.
Finding Normal: Sex, Love, and Taboo in Our Hyperconnected World by Alexa Tsoulis-Reay (St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2022).
2021
"The Self-Identification, LGBTQ+ Identity Development, and Attraction and Behavior of Asexual Youth: Potential Implications for Sexual Health and Internet-Based Service Provision" by McInroy, Lauren B., Brieanne Beaujolais, Shelley L. Craig, and Andrew D. Eaton. Archives of Sexual Behavior 50, no. 8 (2021): 3853-3863.
2020
“‘[T]he happiest, well-feddest wolf in Harlem’: Asexuality as Resistance to Social Reproduction in Claude McKay's Home to Harlem" by Smith, Justin. Feminist Formations 32, no. 3 (2020): 51-74. doi:10.1353/ff.2020.0040.
Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary by Sasha Geffen. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2020.
2019
“Personal agency disavowed: Identity construction in asexual women of color” by Foster, A. B., Eklund, A., Brewster, M. E., Walker, A. D., & Candon, E. (2019). Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 6(2), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000310.
Where can I support AZE?
This journal would not be possible without the generous support of our supporters. You can support AZE on Patreon here: patreon.com/azejournal.
Some comments on AZE articles:
“Thank you for writing this. It’s as clear and accurate a description of my own relationship to sex, sexuality and romance as I’ve ever read, and it’s incredibly validating. So grateful to you today.”
“This had me tearing up. This is why I love poetry. This feeling, these words that I feel and think so often, you found them! You found them and distilled them in their purest, most frustratingly simple form.”
“very very well written. great job of allowing others to gain strength from your personal story of a real world reveal of who you are and owning that identity. kudos mate. hope I can do the same very soon also.”
“Muchas gracias por escribir la reflexión. Es cierto que muchas personas todavía no consideran que hay diferentes tipos de relaciones, y que no todas las personas quieren y le dan más importancia en su vida a las románticas que a las amistades.”
“Reading this five months later, it tilted my world on its side. It almost felt like I ghost wrote this, almost the exact same situation happened to me over the course of abt a year now and good God, did it feel uplifting to hear another Asexual say that despite it all they weren’t afraid to admit that their asexuality wasn’t the problem. Thank you. This meant so much to me to read”
“I appreciate you sharing your story. It is difficult to navigate the queer (lgbtqia+) community as a black person alone, but when adding a smaller identity like asexuality to the mix makes it even harder. I am happy that you have been able to find some community and figure some things about yourself. I hope your road eases a bit more as you grow.”
“Gender has always felt like an itchy sweater I wished I could just take off. I’ve only recently come to the word “agender” as something to describe myself with. Thanks for putting your experience into words — I see myself reflected in them and I’ve never had that before.”
“Thank you for sharing your story. Sometimes it can be pretty hard to put yourself out there, but in the end, it can do so much good. It’s good to know that you’re not alone.”
“AZE does a good job of creating a niche for individuals who crave it, and it includes authors and artists from diverse backgrounds who help create a diverse set of stories and theories that provide multiple points of view around asexuality, aromanticism, agendered embodiment, and other queer and trans identities. ”