Sexuality, or sexual orientation, has to do with who a person is or is not attracted to either sexually or romantically. There are many ways of identifying sexually, and a person may identify more with one sexuality than another at different points during their life.
A note on identity definitions:
Haus of toys uses definitions of sexual, romantic, and gender identities that come from LGBTQIA+ and ally sources.
However, it is important to note that these identities are personal, and people may define them differently. Always refer to a person’s sexual, romantic, or gender identity the same way the person describes it.
What is sexuality?
A person’s sexuality, or sexual orientation, determines whom they do or do not feel attraction toward. This attraction is typically sexual or romantic.
Sexual attraction describes a person’s desire to have sex or form a sexual relationship with other people. It often also describes physical attraction toward others or a lack of it.
Romantic attraction can describe a person’s expression of love within a relationship. This relationship does not have to be sexual, and a person does not have to experience both romantic and sexual attraction to have a sexuality.
There are a lot of sexual orientations, and people who identify with one or more may find that their sexuality changes over time. This is perfectly normal — a person’s orientation can be fluid.
Below are definitions of some types of sexuality.
Alloromantic
A person who identifies as alloromantic experiences romantic attraction toward others.
Allosexual
This is an umbrella term.
A person who identifies as allosexual typically feels sexual attraction toward other people. People who identify with this orientation may also identify with another sexuality, such as being gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
Androsexual
People who consider themselves androsexual feel attraction toward men, males, or perceived masculinity, irrespective of whether or not they were assigned male at birth.
Aromantic
A person who identifies as aromantic may not feel any romantic attraction toward anyone. They may not want a relationship beyond friendship.
A person’s romantic attraction can differ from their sexual attraction.
Asexual
Asexual is an umbrella term that encompasses a broad spectrum of sexual orientations.
Asexuality is a spectrum. Some people may experience no sexual or romantic attraction toward anyone, while others may experience varying degrees of sexual or romantic attraction toward people.
Those who identify with this orientation do not have to abstain from sex to be asexual.
Some orientations that exist within the asexuality spectrum include:
- Sex-averse: This is when a person is averse to or entirely disinterested in sex and sexual behavior.
- Sex-favorable: This is when a person has positive feelings toward sex in some situations.
- Sex-indifferent: This refers to those who feel neutral about sex and sexual behavior.
- Sex-repulsed: This refers to those who are repulsed by sex and sexual behavior.
- Cupiosexual: If someone identifies as cupiosexual, they do not experience sexual attraction but still desire to engage in sexual behavior or have a sexual relationship.
- Libidoist asexual: This term refers to those who identify as asexual but experience sexual feelings that they can satisfy with masturbation or self-stimulation.
- Graysexual: Those who are graysexual experience sexual attraction either infrequently or not very intensely.
- Grayromantic: People who identify as grayromantic may experience romantic attraction either rarely or not very strongly.
Autoromantic
Those who are autoromantic experience a romantic attraction toward themselves.
This does not mean they do not also experience romantic attraction toward others.
Autosexual
Those who identify as autosexual experience a sexual attraction toward themselves.
Similar to those who are autoromantic, people who are autosexual may also experience sexual attraction toward other people.
Bicurious
People who identify as bicurious are interested in having a sexual or romantic experience with someone of the same gender.
The term indicates that the person experiences some uncertainty as to how they identify romantically or sexually.
Biromantic
People who identify as biromantic feel romantic, but not necessarily sexual, attraction toward more than one gender.
Bisexual
A person who identifies as bisexual can be of any gender.
Bisexuality means that a person feels attraction toward their own gender and other genders or toward anyone regardless of their gender.
Demiromantic
People who identify as demiromantic usually do not feel romantic attraction toward people with whom they do not have a strong emotional bond.
Demisexual
A person who identifies as demisexual typically only feels sexual attraction toward a person with whom they have already established a strong emotional bond.
Some people who are demisexual may have no interest or only a slight interest in sexual activity.
Gay
A person who identifies as gay typically only feels sexual attraction toward people of the same gender.
Socially, people use this term to refer to men who are romantically and sexually attracted to men. However, those in the community use it as an umbrella term.
Gynesexual or gynosexual
People who identify as gynesexual feel sexual attraction toward women, females, and perceived femininity, irrespective of whether they were assigned female at birth.
Heteroromantic
Those who are heteroromantic may experience romantic attraction, but not necessarily sexual attraction, toward those of a different gender.
Heterosexuality
People who are heterosexual, or “straight,” typically feel sexual and romantic attraction toward people who are of a gender different than their own.
Homoromantic
Homoromantic refers to people who are romantically attracted to those of a similar gender to their own. They may not feel sexual attraction toward these people, though.
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is a term describing those who are emotionally and physically attracted to people of the same gender.
Lesbian
Those who identify as lesbian are usually women who feel sexual and romantic attraction toward other women.
Some nonbinary people — those who do not identify with the traditional binary sexes of male and female — may also identify as lesbians. This may be because they feel a closer connection to womanhood and are mainly attracted to women.
Monosexual
Monosexual is an umbrella term encompassing all sexual orientations that feel a romantic or sexual attraction toward only one gender.
The sexual orientations that come under this term include heterosexuality, gay, and lesbian.
Multisexual
Multisexual is a broad term that encompasses all sexual orientations in which people are attracted to more than one gender.
Some sexual orientations that come under this term are bisexual and omnisexual.
Pansexual and omnisexual
These sexual orientations refer to people who feel attraction toward people of all genders and sexes.
A typical identifier for people with this orientation is that gender is not a factor in sexual or romantic attraction.
While there is overlap between these two terms and bisexuality and polysexuality, some people may prefer to use one term over another.
Panromantic
This term refers to those who experience romantic attraction, but not sexual attraction, toward people of any gender or sex.
Polysexual
People who identify as polysexual feel sexual or romantic attraction toward more than one gender.
Queer
People of all sexualities under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella may also identify as queer.
Historically, many people used the word queer as a slur. People belonging to LGBTQIA+ communities may now choose to use this term to reclaim it.
It is generally not a good idea for people outside of these communities to use this term.
Sexual fluidity
People’s sexuality can be fluid. This means that their sexual orientation is not fixed, and they may not define themselves by any particular sexuality.
Skoliosexual
People who identify as skoliosexual typically only feel attraction toward people who are nonbinary.
Spectrasexual
Spectrasexual is a term that describes those who are romantically and sexually attracted to multiple sexes, genders, and gender identities but not all of them.
A person’s sexuality determines who they feel romantic or sexual attraction toward. People may feel that labeling their sexuality helps them deal with any oppression or difficulties they face. It may also help them find a community in which they can share their experiences.
People may also find it helpful to know the terms describing other sexual orientations. By knowing the terminology, people can better understand another person’s sexuality.
Sexuality can exist on a spectrum, and people do not have to feel sexual and romantic attraction at the same time or toward the same gender.
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