“I already don’t fit the norm. I might as well go all the way”: college students who identify as both ace and trans or nonbinary

College students who are ace/on the asexual spectrum (e.g., asexual, demisexual, graysexual) or who are trans or nonbinary (TNB) commonly identify as both. This study sought to understand this overlap through interviewing 140 ace TNB students. The responses of the participants were categorized into six major themes, many of which reflect the interconnectedness of being ace and nonbinary. These themes included already being outside of one binary, gender dysphoria affecting sexual desire, the relationship between being asexual and agender, and not having to perform gender for others because of not seeking a sexual partner. Because nearly three-fourth of the participants also indicated being neurodivergent, the connection between neurodivergence and ace and TNB identities emerged as another theme. While sexuality and gender are often thought of as distinct, if related, concepts, this was not the experience of most of the ace nonbinary participants. For them, sexuality and gender informed each other and were inseparable. They came to see themselves as one of these identities because of first identifying as the other. Little research has focused on either ace or nonbinary college students. This study demonstrates the need for more work on both groups, including the intersections of these identities.