As we continue to learn about new identities, gender or sexuality, there is always something new that we come across, which might lead to confusion or conflict in understanding.
For the same reason, we have complained about the importance of gender and sexual identities for better clarity.
Whether you're exploring your sexuality, learning about others, or hoping to educate yourself and be an ally, this list is designed to help define and differentiate some commonly used terms to describe an orientation.
Agender: An individual who sees themselves as neither man nor woman. Person does not
identify themselves as having a specific gender.
Alloromantic: It refers to people who experience romantic attraction. It is possible to be
alloromantic but not allosexual.
Allosexual: A person who experiences sexual attraction to any individual regardless of their sexuality
Androgyne: A person with a gender that is both masculine and feminine or in between masculine and feminine. The person possesses both male and female sexual characteristics. Means, they are not distinctly feminine or masculine in appearance or behaviour
Autosexual/ autoromantic: A person who experiences a personal relationship with themselves where they both give and receive love themselves is termed as an autoromantic person.
Aromantic: This term refers to people who experience little to no romantic attraction towards other people.
Asexual: (sex aversed / sex repulsed/ sex indifferent/ sex favourable/ libidoist asexual /cupiosexual)
Bigender: In individuals having two genders, showcasing cultural characteristics of male and female roles.
Bisexual: This term refers to people who are primarily emotionally and sexually attracted toward people of the same gender or opposite gender regardless of their gender.
Cisgender: This term refers to the whole whose gender identity and gender expression matches with the biological sex they were assigned at birth
Demisexual: A person is said to be demisexual if he/she feels sexually attracted to an individual only after developing an intimate emotional bond with the individual.
Gay: A person who ideally feels sexually and romantically attracted to people of the same gender.
Gender: It is a social construct and is often considered as male and female however gender is wide-ranging and extensive.
Gender identity: An individual’s understanding of themselves as a man or woman, both or neither. It depends on how one view and calls themselves. Gender identity can be similar or different sex assigned at birth.
Gender expression: External appearance of one’s identity, expressed through their behaviour, clothing, haircut or voice. This may or may not conform to social norms of masculine or feminine characteristics.
Gender fluid: A person who shows a fluid or unfixed gender identity. The individual does not identify with a single fixed gender.
Genderqueer: This term refers to people who see themselves as being both male or female, neither male nor female nor not conforming to any categories, dismissing the notion of not falling into any fixed categories of gender and embracing a fluidity of gender identity.
Gender binary: A system in which gender is categorised into two fixed gender male or female.
Gender expansive: An individual with a wide-ranging spectrum of gender identity or expression rather than just being associated with the binary gender system. Often refers to young people still exploring the possibilities of gender expression/ identity
Gender outlaw: A person who defies conventional gender roles of male and female and refuses to be defined by them.
Graysexual: Graysexual is a term used to define a person who falls somewhere between sexual and asexual. The person may have sexual desires once in a while but most don’t.
Gynosexual or Gynesexual: A person who is sexually attracted towards women, females and perceived femininity irrespective of their assigned sex at birth.
Heterosexuality: Those who are emotionally and romantically attracted to people of a gender other than their own.
Homosexuality: Term used to describe people who feel emotionally, physically and romantically attracted to people of the same gender.
Intersex: Intersex is a term used to describe a person born with reproductive anatomy that doesn’t fit under “female” or “male” classes.
LGBTQ+: An umbrella term inclusive of Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer.
Lesbian: Women who feel sexually and romantically attracted to other women.
Monosexual: It is an umbrella term including all sexual orientations that may feel sexual or romantic attraction towards only one gender.
Multisexual: It is a vast term encompassing all sexual orientations in which people are sexually attracted to more than one gender.
Omnigender: An individual who identifies with all gender identities.
Pansexual: This term refers to the people who are not limited with their sexual or romantic choices in regards to sex, gender, and gender identity.
Polygender: Polygender people experience multiple gender identities, either simultaneously or at once. Polygender people can have any gender expression but might prefer to be seen as androgynous.
Polysexual: This term refers to people who feel sexually or romantically attracted to more than one gender.
Queer: It is an umbrella term, people use to express a diverse range of identities and orientations contrary to the mainstream. It includes people who have non–binary or gender-expansive identities as well as people who do not exclusively identify as straight.
Sex assigned at birth: Term used by a doctor to describe the sex of a child at birth based on their external anatomy. ( male, female or intersex).
Sexual orientation: It is a term that refers to a person’s pattern of emotional, romantic and sexual attraction to other people. Sexual orientation can be fluid and use various labels to describe sexual orientation.
Spectrasexual: A person who is sexually attracted to multiple genders and may or may not have a preference for a particular gender.
Transgender: A term describing a person’s gender identity that does not necessarily match their assigned sex at birth.
Hope this list was helpful to your and your peers. A lot of information is available online to help individuals with these issues however, we aim to compile reliable data to help you in your journey better. Education is step one, and if you want to take things forward from here, reach out to us at info@roomthespace.com and we’d be happy to assist.
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