Sexuality, just like gender, is fluid and may be subject to change at any point in time. While prescribing labels to sexuality is not a crucial part of it, knowing one’s own sexuality can help them express what they feel. Sexuality is all about exploring one’s own interests and it is completely okay to move to another fitting orientation with growing experiences or, for that matter, no experience at all.
Sexuality always has been a controversial topic of debate, with no dearth of discrimination, harrasment and violence being directed towards those who do not conform to the heteronormative view on sexuality. Untangling one’s self from rigidly defined norms and moving towards acceptance, in the most natural way possible, is not easy and can be a long and confusing process. We are here to state the fact that confusion, regarding one’s own orientation, is completely normal. After all, its centuries of heteronormative reinforcement that we are unravelling here.
GLAAD defines sexual orientation as ‘the scientifically accurate term for an individual’s enduring physical, romantic and/ or emotional attraction to members of the same and/or opposite sex, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual (straight) orientations.’
Sexuality, thus, is a spectrum and familiarizing oneself with the language, describing the spectrum, can help promote a safe space for the expression of individual identity. Below, you will find some of the terms individuals use to describe their sexuality. Please note that if none of the terms tags feel like they describe you, it is also okay. Labels, after all, are just words.
- Allosexual: An umbrella term used to describe people who experience sexual attraction. Orientations like gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, etc. fall under this.
- Androsexual: A term used to describe people who find themselves emotionally or sexually attracted towards someone with a more masculine leaning.
- Aromantic: A term used to describe people who experience little to no romantic attraction.
- Asexual: An asexual person is someone who does not experience sexual attraction at all.
- Bisexual: A bisexual person is someone who is emotionally and or sexually attracted to more than one gender. It is often found overlapping with pansexuality.
- Crossed Orientation: A person who identifies as crossed-oriented, experiences emotional and sexual attraction different from each other. one might feel sexually attracted to boys but emotionally attracted to girls in cross/mixed orientation.
- Demisexual: A demisexual person’s orientation falls on the asexual spectrum. They only experience sexual attraction under special circumstances like following an emotional or romantic relationship with someone.
- Demiromantic: A demiromantic person’s orientation falls on the aromantic spectrum. They only experience romantic attraction under special circumstances like following an emotional or romantic relationship with someone.
- Gay: A gay person is someone who experiences emotional and sexual attraction to people of the same or a similar gender. Some women, who identify as gay, also prefer the term ‘Lesbian’.
- Graysexual: Graysexual people are the ones who experience limited sexual attraction, hence, falling on the grey area of the sexuality spectrum. They identify as neither asexual nor aromantic.
- Grayromantic: Grayromantic people are the ones who experience limited romantic attraction, hence, falling on the grey area between romantic and aromantic.
- Gynesexual: People who identify as Gynexesual experience romantic or sexual attraction towards females or femininity.
- Heterosexual: People who experience sexual or romantic attraction towards their opposite gender are the ones who identify as heterosexual.
- Homosexual: This term, although, outdated and finds its roots in medicine in psychology, refers to the individuals who experience romantic or sexual attraction to people of their own gender. This term has, however, been used by anti-gay extremists, hence, the use of this term by non-queer folks is now debated upon.
- Lesbian: Women who are mentally, emotionally and sexually attracted to other women identify as lesbians. Some of the women also prefer the term ‘gay’ or ‘queer’.
- Pansexual: A person who identifies as pansexual, experiences romantic or sexual attraction towards people regardless of their gender or sex.
- Queer: Previously used as a derogatory term towards the community, the word now is reclaimed by queer folks and is an umbrella term and describes anyone and everyone from the LGBTQ+ community.
- Sapiosexual: A person who is Sapiosexual, experiences attraction based on intelligence rather than sex or gender identity.
- Sex-Repulsed: Falling on the asexuality spectrum, the term is used for people who dislike sex.
- Skoliosexual: A person who is skoliosexual would experience attraction towards anyone who isn’t cisgender.
- Spectrasexual: A person who experiences sexual or romantic attraction across various genders, sexes and gender identities.
To those reading this, let this piece be a step towards understanding and acceptance. The denial of an individual’s experiences and identity is an issue that sits at the heart of Human Rights issues. Non-heteronormative individuals, all over the world, already face an opposition to the expression of a core aspect of their identity. It is time that the world moves from depreciating to celebrating the expression of different identities and orientations.
