AZE is Raising Support to Continue Publication
To AZE’s readers, supporters, and friends,
I created AZE journal in 2016 under the name The Asexual originally with the goal of creating a platform for asexual people to publish their thoughts and expressions. In 2019, I changed the name to AZE with the intention of expanding its scope to include aromantic and agender people. AZE’s name came out of my idea of azeness, a name for what I saw as “the experiences of ‘absence’ that are shared by asexual, aromantic, and agender people amidst the norms and expectations of cisheteropatriarchy.”
Since its beginning, AZE has published 28 unique journal issues focused on exploring different themes and intersections related to sexuality, romance, gender, attraction, and intimacy. Some examples of topics include redefining our ideas of relationships, examining attraction, family relations, media representation, and deconstructing gender expectations. This includes over 400 works, including personal essays, poetry, artwork, and academic articles, created by asexual, aromantic, and agender authors.
As the lead editor and manager of AZE for eight years, it has been an immense privilege for me to have a hand in publishing these works. This is especially true as I have witnessed AZE’s publications being referenced in numerous sources, including peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Sexualities, Feminist Formations, and Communication Education, research texts like the Handbook for Human Sexuality Counseling (2022) and Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives (2024), to popular literature like Alice Oseman’s Loveless (2022).
I am immensely grateful to everyone who has supported AZE by reading and sharing the journal, leaving comments and social media posts, and donating through Patreon. Without your support, AZE would not have been able to continue for as long as it has now. With all of this being said, I am writing this with the hope of raising funds for AZE’s continued publication. Recently, my life situation has changed and it has become increasingly difficult to support myself and, by extension, the projects I am working on.
Regardless of my current situation, I am still committed to the continued publication of AZE. However, I am hoping to raise support for the journal so that it becomes more manageable for me in my current life situation. To support the journal and its continued publication, please consider helping AZE on Patreon. Please feel no pressure to do so, especially if this is not possible for you. Your support is and always will be appreciated. Thank you!
With love and appreciation,
Michael Paramo
Editor of AZE Journal
