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It was an honor being an invited panelist at #UKAceCon2020. Much praise to my co-panelists @LibraryChar, @DebTheAuthor, @Aurora_T_Books, @foveauxx, and our host @khderrick. Connecting with scholars, activists, and creatives was so restorative. Here are some of my thoughts:
@theyasminbenoit reminded us that activism (and marginalized communities) will always be ahead of academia. I recall being told that ace folks were too small of a population, and Black aces are even smaller, therefore they're not worthy of scholarship on their lived experience.
@MCsociology also discussed similarly invalidating comments from some parts of academia, while other parts are thirsty for this work and supportive ( @AsaSexualities). The disregard for ace voices by some academics is disheartening to me as an ace scholar who does ace research.
Ace scholars, especially ones doing research related to asexuality, must continue to persist. Shout out to @MCsociology for being a true mentor, educator, advocate, and resource for folks studying asexualities. Being seen, valued, and validated cannot be understated. Thank you!
The imposter phenomena that comes with being aspec, especially when you're constantly told that the (lgbtqi)A is for ally - @DebTheAuthor. This feeling is exacerbated when Black media ignores your activism - @theyasminbenoit. And dealing with racism in ace spaces - @AceGentle. 
Shout out to @hobis_pouch for pushing us to think about Chinese history, translation, and locating ace identities beyond language boundaries of modern day. Language, naming, and representation is important. I recall some Black elderfolk who never had the name but lived ace lives.
@hobis_pouch also highlighted the tension of being a hypersexualized racial minority navigating our ace identities. Were not trying to challenge stereotypes per se, we just wanna live. But of course, the fetishization of purity for women of color makes our social location unique.
Leah on the Ace & Ethnicity panel said something so important for me as a thick Black woman. Our curves, our big breasts, and I would add the general sexiness that is read onto Blackness & Black bodies makes it hard to be believed that we are ace. This is why I study embodiment.
The Aces & Disability panel highlighted the problem of the desexualization of disabled folks and the fear of perpetuating the idea our asexuality is caused by our disabilities (or sexual trauma). Myself as a disabled, ace, sexual assault survivor found this to be a needed convo.
At the conference, I kept thinking about how a couple weeks ago my mom called me asexual for the first time. She said, "You're not trying to get married cause you're asexual, right?" I cried to my writing group about the significance of this moment and the validation. Baby steps.
I want to get married one day cause I love parties. And maybe a queer platonic relationship (QPR) will be in my future, but ion think my mom ready for that convo. Shout out to @Kayla_Kas from @soundsfakepod and Daniel from @SliceOfAce for teaching me the term #TaxAttraction 
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I was invited to the panel & conference by @LibraryChar because they could access & read my article "Theorizing Conscious Black Asexuality through @KannClaire's Let's Talk about Love" & enjoyed it. Open access is so important for accessibility! I want all folks to access my work.
#UKAceCon2020 was wonderful, empowering, and informative. You can watch the conference streams at: http://sites.google.com/view/uk-asexuality-conference-2020
