all about sexuality, terms, definitions, reminders

Hello hello beloved queer community!
On this thread I’ll be talking about sexuality, discussing the definition, some labels, and including a few reminders
~ Sexual orientation is not about who you have sex with, or how often you have it. Sexuality is about your sexual feelings, thoughts, attractions and behaviors towards other people. You can find other people physically, sexually or emotionally attractive, and all those things are a part of your sexuality.

Sexuality is diverse and personal, and it is an important part of who you are. Discovering your sexuality can be a very liberating, exciting and positive experience. Sometimes, it can take time to figure out the label that describes you best and your sexuality can change over time. It can be confusing coming to terms with your sexual orientation; so don’t worry if you are unsure right now. You have time <3

you might be drawn to men or to women, to both, to other genders or to neither. There is no right or wrong – it’s about what’s right for you. And while there are common terms to describe different types of sexuality, you don’t have to adopt a label to describe yourself. Simply being you is completely okay
For an easier understanding of different terms related to sexuality you can imagine a line, on two ends of the line we have heterosexuality (attraction to opposite sex/gender) and homosexuality (attraction to same sex/gender) there in between the two and totally out of that line are all the folks with other sexualities
It’s important to remember at first place that a person may have any sexuality regardless of their gender identity as the two are completely separate contexts
You need to keep in mind the fact that A Trans man (FTM) is simply a man and a Trans woman (MTF) is a simply a woman
One’s orientation can be discussed in two different ways
Romantic attraction and sexual attraction
It’s important to remember that romantic and sexual attraction are not the same and one can have different preferences in each, for example a person may be asexual (not interested in sexual relationships) and bi-romantic (interested in a romantic relationship with two or more differing genders) at the same time
~ When someone refers to their sexuality with one label only (for example saying they are lesbian) it usually means they are both romantically and sexually identifying with the label
Few terms you may want to know about~
Gay~ while the term is more commonly known as “men attracted to men” it can also be used as an umbrella term to refer to homosexuality or less commonly also referring to lgbtq+ community as a whole
Lesbian~ in the simplest definition can be described as women attracted to women
Bisexual~ a person with sexual and/or romantic attraction to 2 or mare variant genders
Stereotypes discussed~
~ Bisexuality is not being half gay- half straight, it is a completely individual term (not black and white but grey)
~ There is no such force for one’s attraction to be split 50/50 or equally between the genders one is attracted to, a bisexual person may have stronger feelings for one gender than another. And this share can change thru time
~ Bisexuality “is not” Trans- phobic, and nor does it exclude non-binary pals, many wrongly define bisexuality as attraction to both same and opposite gender/sex which is not an accurate definition
~ bisexual person’s sexuality does not “change” based on their partner’s gender, and there is no force for having experience with both/all genders one is attracted to, to be bisexual, one’s orientation and view of self is always valid regardless of past or current relationships

Pansexual ~ a person attracted to all genders, in other words a person attracted into their potential partner regardless of their gender identity
Pansexuality and bisexuality are not the same thing, for example a bisexual woman might be attracted sexually and/or emotionally to men and non-binary folks but not feeling the same connection to other women while a pansexual women wouldn’t feel a connection/ disconnection specifically to men, women or non-binary people but instead to a person they meet (some call it gender blind attraction)
Stereotypes discussed~
The fact a pansexual person may feel attraction to anyone regardless of their gender doesn’t mean they are attracted to everyone they meet!
Bisexual and pansexual people are not confused!
Bisexuality and pansexuality are not similar to polyamorous relationships
Asexual~
A person who identifies as asexual (‘ace’ for short) is someone who does not experience, or experiences very little, sexual attraction. Asexuality is not a choice, like abstinence (where someone chooses not to have sex with anyone, whether they are attracted to them or not). Asexuality is a sexual orientation, like homosexuality or heterosexuality. Some people may strongly identify with being asexual, except for a few infrequent experiences of sexual attraction (grey-asexuality). Some people feel sexual attraction only after they develop a strong emotional bond with someone (this is known as demisexuality).
An asexual person may or may not experience romantic attraction and be interested in short or long term romantic relationships, in that case they will use labels like asexual homo-romantic, asexual bi-romantic, and so on.
A-Romantic~ someone who does not experience, or experiences very little, romantic attraction; who may or may not experience sexual attraction to a given gender or person and might have a sexual relationship with someone despite not engaging in short or long term romantic relation ship
Stereotypes discussed~
~ asexual people are not “yet to find the right person”
~are not emotionless and can be super loving personalities even if they are not into sexual and/or romantic relationships
~ Asexuality has little to nothing to do with trauma and associating the two is not a realistic association
~ You do not need to stay away from discussing relationships, love or breakups with asexual people, not having a desire to experience something doesn’t mean not understanding or not wanting to discuss it
Polyamorous Polyamory is the practice of, or desire for, intimate relationships with more than one partner, with the informed consent of all partners involved.
Stereotypes discussed~
~ polyamerous relationships are not the same as open relationships, in an open relationship the partners have informed consent to their partner having other unserious relationships in the time of their relationships
Want to learn about more less commonly known terms and orientations?? Check here