Sexualities have nothing to do with who you have sex with or how frequently you have it. Sexual feelings, thoughts, attractions, and behaviors toward other people are all aspects of sexuality.
So, in this article, we will discuss all sexualities, meanings, lists of sexualities, and the number of sexualities in 2023.
What are Sexualities?
Sexualities is a term describing the parts of your identity that deal with how you present yourself to the world. Who you love, and who you find yourself attracted to or not attracted to.
It’s the way a person feels and expresses their relationship to sex, desire, arousal, and eroticism. It can also include a lot of varying elements (what kind of person you’d want to have sex with). But often we use this term as shorthand for sexual orientation and the number of ways people may express identity.
Sexualities are experienced and expressed through thoughts, fantasizing, wishes, beliefs, attitudes, values, activities, practice, roles, and relationships with others. Besides ourselves, our sexuality is shaped by social relationships, health and economic system, judiciary, educational system, and, finally, gender relationships.
It is because of its exceptional importance for society and individuals; different structures of power seek to control human sexuality and manipulate it. Sexuality can be fluid in a person’s life, so its elements may change.
What factors influence sexualities?
Human sexuality can be affected by hormonal changes occurring in the earliest period, even during the development of the fetus during pregnancy, as well as those that occur much later, at various stages of development and life. Some scientists claim that the way of expressing sexuality depends to a large extent on genetic predispositions. The third is also of the view that both factors play a role in the shaping of sexuality.
It is claimed that sexuality affects social norms and on the other hand; societies influence sexuality by standardizing the ways in which it can be expressed, controlled, and altered. Also, mass media has increasingly influence sexuality because they establish patterns of appearance and behavior of people who are sexually attractive.
How many sexualities are there?
To our knowledge, there’s no definitive number of sexuality since new words are constantly being conceived and integrated into popular language as the way we talk about sexual orientation evolves.
This isn’t to say that new types of sexuality are being invented out of the blue; rather, people are creating a new language to describe nuances of sexual attraction and behavior that have always existed. So, these terms serve as a way for people to feel seen and find communities of like-minded people.
They also help with describing one’s identity, communicating with others about what you look for in relationships, and establishing compatibility with potential partners. While there is no finite number of sexual orientation types, there are a handful of terms that you’re likely to see more than others.
So, the labels help us identify and feel a part of a community. However, it’s a strong possibility that you identify with none of the labels below & I want to stress, this is okay. Please remember this if you’re searching to explain what you’re feeling & feel disappointment if none below are identifiable.
List of Sexualities and Meanings
1. Abrosexual:
Abrosexuality is described as an individual who experiences their sexuality change frequently. It can fluctuate between different sexualities often.
2. Androgynosexual:
An androgynosexual describes a person who is sexually attracted to men and women, particularly those of androgynous appearance.
3. Allosexual:
A word and category describing those who experience sexual attraction. The use of this term helps to normalize the experience of being asexual and provides a more specific label to describe those who aren’t part of the asexual community.
4. Allosexism:
This refers to norms, stereotypes, and practices in society that operate under the assumption that all human beings experience, or should experience sexual attraction. Allosexism grants privilege to those who experience attraction and leads to prejudice against and erasure of asexual people.
5. Androsexual:
A term used to communicate sexual or romantic attraction to men, males, or masculinity. This term intentionally includes attraction to those who identify as men, male, or masculine, regardless of biology, anatomy, or sex assigned at birth.
#6. Asexual:
Asexual identity or orientation includes individuals who don’t experience sexual attraction to others of any gender. Also referred to as “aces,” some people who are asexual do experience romantic attraction to people of one or multiple genders.
7. Aromantic:
A romantic orientation describes people who experience little or no romantic attraction, regardless of sex or gender.
8. Autoromatic
A romantic orientation that describes a person who’s romantically attracted to themselves. Those who identify as autoromatic often report experiencing the relationship they have with themselves as romantic.
9. Bicurious:
This refers to people who are questioning or exploring bisexuality; which typically includes curiosity about one’s romantic or sexual attraction to people of the same or different genders.
10. Bisexual:
Sexual orientation describes those who experience sexual, romantic, or emotional attractions to people of more than one gender; it is also referred to as “bi.” Biosexual typically includes individuals who are attracted to a variety of people with genders that are similar to and different from their own.
11. Biromantic:
Those who experience romantic attraction, but not sexual attraction, to individuals of more than one gender.
12. Ceterosexual:
Someone who experiences sexual/romantic attraction only to non-binary people.
13. Cupiosexual:
Cupiosexual describes asexual people who don’t experience sexual attraction but still have the desire to engage in sexual behavior or a sexual relationship.
14. Closeted:
Closeted, also referred to as “in the closet,” describes people in the LGBTQIA+community. community who don’t publicly or openly share their sexual identity, sexual attraction, sexual behavior, gender expression, or gender identity
15. Demisexual
Demisexuality refers to a person who doesn’t experience sexual attraction unless they form an emotional connection.
16. Demiromantic
This term is a type of grey-romantic who only experiences romantic attraction after developing an emotional connection. They do not experience primary romantic attraction but are capable of secondary romantic attraction.
17. Fluid
This term refers to the fact that sexuality, sexual attraction, and sexual behavior can change over time and be dependent on the situation. It also describes those who experience shifts in their sexuality, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior in different situations or throughout the course of their lifetime. You may also hear someone describe their sexuality as “fluid.”
18. Gay
A term that describes individuals who experience sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to people of the same or a similar gender. Some gay-identified women prefer the term lesbian, while others prefer queer or gay. It’s also best to ask which word or term someone uses to describe themselves.
19. Graysexual
Graysexual is a term used to acknowledge the gray area on the sexuality spectrum for people who don’t explicitly and exclusively identify as asexual or aromantic.
20. Grayromantic
A romantic orientation that describes individuals whose romantic attraction exists in the gray area between romantic and aromantic. So many people who identify as grayromantic do experience some romantic attraction, but perhaps not at the same level or frequency as those who identify their sexuality or romantic orientation as something other than asexual.
21. Gynesexual
A term used to communicate sexual or romantic attraction to women, females, or femininity. This term intentionally includes attraction to those who identify as women, female, or feminine, regardless of biology, anatomy, or the sex assigned at birth.
22. Heterosexual
A term that describes people who experience sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to people of the “opposite” gender (e.g. male vs. female, man vs. woman) or different gender.
23. Homosexual
An outdated term rooted in the fields of medicine and psychology that refers to individuals who experience sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to people of the same or a similar gender.
24. Lesbian
A woman or female-identified person who experiences sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to people of the same or a similar gender. Some women who are lesbians may also refer to themselves as gay or queer, while others prefer the label lesbian.
25 Libidoist asexual
This is a term used to describe an asexual person who experiences sexual feelings that are satisfied through self-stimulation or masturbation.
26. Monosexual
A broad sexual orientation category includes people who experience romantic or sexual attraction to people of one sex or gender. Monosexuality typically includes those who are exclusively heterosexual, gay, or lesbian.
27. Non-libidoist asexual
Referring to an identity on the asexuality spectrum, a non-libidoist asexual is someone who doesn’t experience any sexual feelings or has an active sex drive.
28. Omnisexual
Omnisexual is similar to pansexual and can be used to describe individuals whose sexuality isn’t limited to people of a particular gender, sex, or sexual orientation.
29. Pansexual and omnisexual
These sexual orientations refer to people who feel attraction toward people of all genders and sexes. So, a typical identifier for those who are pansexual is that gender is not a huge factor in sexual or romantic attraction. While there is overlap between these two terms, bisexuality and polysexuality, some people may prefer to use one term over another.
30. Panromantic
This is a term that refers to those who experience romantic attraction, but not sexual attraction, to someone of any gender or sex.
31. Polysexual
People who identify as polysexual feel sexual or romantic attraction toward more than one gender.
People of all sexualities under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella may also identify as queer. So, they may use the term “queer” to reclaim it, as historically, many have used the term as a slur. Unless a person is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, it is generally not a good idea to use this term.
32. Skoliosexual
People who identify as sociosexual typically only feel attraction toward people who are nonbinary.
33. 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.
34. Straight
Also known as “heterosexual,” “straight” describes people who experience sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to individuals of the “opposite” gender (e.g., male vs. female, man vs. woman) or different gender.
Read Also: SEXUALITIES: DEFINITION, TYPES & COMPREHENSIVE LIST IN 2023
How Many Sexes Are There?
There are only two sexes based on the production of reproductive cells: the female sex, capable of producing large gametes (ovules), and the male sex, capable of producing small gametes (spermatozoa).
How Many Sexes Are There Intersex?
Because, biologically speaking, many gradations run from female to male; along that spectrum, there are at least five sexes, if not more. Medical researchers are aware of the concept of the intersexual body
Conclusion
Expanding the language you use to describe your sexuality can provide important guidance and access to community while on your journey of self-discovery and satisfaction. The connections observed between sexuality and marriage in any society reflect society’s social constructions of love, sexuality, and marriage.
So, this experience may lead to sexual fulfillment or frustration, marital satisfaction or dissatisfaction, seeking counseling or treatment, adultery, or divorce. This modern world is expanding, and you must expand alongside it.
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