This website is a WIP - please be aware that this site is not exclusive and the definitions are not official. This site is being consistently updated.

Sexual Orientations

Author's note: It's important to note that sexual attraction and romantic attraction are two different things. Sexual attraction is the attraction to someone that you would want to have sex with. Romantic attraction is the attraction to someone you would want a relationship with. These attractions are related, but not always connected or exclusive.

Identifying with separate romantic, sexual, and other forms of attraction identities is called split attraction. What is split attraction?

For example, a person could be panromantic and lesbian - they could be in a relationship with anyone they find attractive, regardless of gender, but would only want to have sex with another feminine-aligned person. A person could be homoromantic and asexual - wanting a relationship with the same gender but not being attracted to their partner sexually. One person can use multiple orientations to express different parts of their sexuality; a person could be demi-bisexual, or attracted to both men and women (or more), but only after forming a close emotional bond; or a person could say they are omnisexual, and specify by idenitify as also andro- and cetero-sexual, or attracted to men and non-binary people. How does this work?

There are other kinds of attractions as well. These include altruistic attraction (or emotional attraction), platonic attraction (attraction with a desire to be friends), sensual attraction (wanting physical, non-sexual intimacy with someone, like cuddling or hugging) and aesthetic attraction (attraction to someone's appearence without being sexually or romantically attracted).Please note that the prefixes used in these orientations (bi-, pan-, andro-, etc) can be applied to both sexual and romantic attraction. The prefix bi- can be used in both bisexual and biromantic, both of which mean the same attraction but in sexual v.s. romantic contexts, and so on.

Sexuality is fluid and unique. Every person's experience with attraction is different, so definitions for different terms can vary between people.

I used Google Images for this selection of photos

Homosexuality

Being gay is one of the most common identities associated with the LGBTQ+ community, and while it is certainly not the only identity, it is the most well- known. Gay people are attracted to people of the same gender; for example, men attracted to other men or women attracted to other women.

The rainbow flag depicted is the most common LGBTQ+ flag that can be found. Nowadays, since gay men and lesbians each have their own flag, the six-colored rainbow flag is used as a symbol for the whole LGBTQ+ community and is available for use by anyone who is LGBTQ+, regardless of their identity.

Gay men

This is the flag specific to all men and masculine people that are only attracted sexually and/or romantically to other men/masculine people. Gay men are also referred to as mlm (man loving man), but this isn't exclusive to only gay men.

Lesbian

Lesbians are women and feminine people that are exclusively sexually/romantically attracted to women and feminine people. This lesbian flag has had many iterations, but this is the most commonly accepted 'official' flag. Lesbians are also referred to as wlw (woman loving woman), but the term isn't exclusive to lesbians.

Androsexual

Androsexuality is the sexual attraction to men or masculine people. This term exists in order for non-binary people or others to express their sexuality without using the term 'gay'.

Ceterosexual

Ceterosexuality, or skoliosexuality, is the sexual attraction to non-binary people. This term can be used by anyone who is attracted to non-binary people.

Gynosexual

Gynosexuality is the sexual attraction to women or feminine people. This term exists in order for non-binary people or others to express their sexuality without using the term 'gay' or 'lesbian'.

Toric

A non-binary person attracted to masculine people, also known as nblm(non-binary loving men).

Trixic

A non-binary person attracted to feminine people, also known as nblw (non-binary loving women)

Neptunic

Attraction to nonbinary and feminine-aligned identities; attraction to non-masculine identities

Uranic

Attraction to nonbinary and masculine-aligned identities; attraction to non-feminine identities

The Asexual Spectrum

Asexual people feel no sexual attraction to anyone. The intensity of this varies between people on a spectrum, from being completely sex-repulsed to enjoying sex without feeling particular attraction to a person. Asexual people can still have committed relationships, often either platonic, romantic, and/or altruistic in nature, and may still have sex with their partner for reasons other than attraction. More specific labels on this spectrum include but are not limited to:

Cupiosexual - wanting a sexual relationship, but not feeling sexual attraction

Apothisexual - being sex-repulsed

Demisexual - only having sexual attraction after forming a close emotional bond

Greysexual - rarely having sexual attraction

Aromantic

Aromantic is the lack of romantic attraction. Aromantic people can still have committed relationships, often either platonic, sexual, and/or altruistic in nature.

Demisexual

Demisexuals lack of sexual attraction, until a strong emotional bond is formed. Some demi people think they are asexual until they form a bond with someone they are finally attracted to.

Greysexual

Greysexual people experience very limited sexual attraction.

Oriented-Aroace

Lacking of both romantic and sexual attraction, but still having significant attraction in other forms - led by the sexuality that the person is oriented with (ex. bi-oriented or pan-oriented)

Aroace

Aroace (or aromantic-asexual) is the lack of both romantic and sexual attraction. Aroace people can still have committed relationships, often either platonic and/or altruistic in nature.

Ace-flux

Asexuality that fluctuates in intensity over time. Sometimes the person can be sex-repulsed, or sex-indifferent, and another time might feel attraction towards someone or feel sex-positive.

Bisexuality

Bisexual people are sexually attracted to two or more genders; for example, they are attracted to both men and women, or women and non-binary people. Some people expand the meaning to mean attraction to more than just two people; for example, a bisexual person could be attracted to men, women, and nonbinary people. The exact definition is highly tailorable to the individual.

Bicurious

Bicurious people are mostly oriented towards a specific sexuality, but are open to or may have experienced attraction to other genders. For example, a lesbian who is open to having sex with a man, or a straight man who is curious about having gay sex.

Heteroflexible

Heteroflexible people are almost entirely attracted to the opposite sex, but with rare exceptions. A man might always be attracted to women, but once was attracted to another man. This could be considered a form of bicurious or bisexuality.

Homoflexible

Homoflexible people are almost entirely attracted to the same sex, but with rare exceptions. A gay man might always be attracted to other men, but once was attracted to a woman. This could be considered a form of bicurious or bisexuality.

Multi-sexuality

More specific or more broad sexualities exist outside of bisexuality. Some people who are attracted to multiple genders identify as bisexual, but some prefer labels that allow for more variation or specificity. These are considered microlabels, and some orientations like this include pansexual, polysexual, and omnisexual.

Pansexual

Being sexually attracted to all genders/regardless of gender

Omnisexual

Attraction to all genders, with a preference towards certain genders. Preference depends on the individual. It can also be described as an attraction to all genders, with gender identity/expression playing a significant role in attraction.

Polysexual

Being sexually attracted to multiple genders, but not all genders. Preference depends on the individual.

Polyamorous

Polyamorous people are both attracted to, and usually desire relationships with, multiple people at once. They often date multiple people at a time, and multiple polyamorous people can form committed relationships consisting of three or more people together. The dynamic in these relationships can vary between people.

It is worth noting that polyamory is not cheating, so long as all parties involved in the relationships are aware and consent to the dynamic. By extension, cheating -- or having a sexual/romantic relationship outside of your committed relationship without the consent of your committed partner -- is not polyamory, even if the person cheating identifies as polyamorous.

Abrosexual

Abrosexual people fluctuate between different sexualities. Similar to genderfluid people, abrosexual people may have a set of orientations they rotate between, or might switch between all of them. When in a relationship, they might settle on or stick to a single sexuality in order to stay attracted to their partner. Abrosexual can also fluctuate between intensities within one sexuality; for example, a bisexual person who's attraction to men and women changes in intensity day-by-day, preferring women one day and preferring men the next, etc.

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