You have probably noticed this already, but there are a lot of different terms thrown around with regard to the definition of various sexualities. So many that it can actually be pretty damn difficult to keep up with the various definitions. That is why we have put together this list. We have gone through 24 of the most common types of sexuality and given them a definition.
Do note that this is not an exhaustive list of sexualities. There are hundreds of them out there. However, it should cover just about every definition you are likely to encounter in your day-to-day life. Let’s dive right in. We have a lot to cover!
Heterosexual
For many, this is regarded as a classic type of sexuality. Attracted to the opposite gender, no ifs, no buts. We are pretty reluctant to call it the ‘normal’ type of sexuality because it really isn’t. However, it is the most common type of sexuality there is. If you are only attracted to the opposite gender, then you are probably a heterosexual.
As you will probably notice throughout the rest of this page, there are types of sexuality that can overlap heavily with heterosexuality, albeit with a few caveats. However, a lot of people are not aware that those types of sexuality exist, so they just regard themselves as heterosexual. There, honestly, isn’t anything wrong with doing that!
Homosexual
While this is a form of sexuality that is often applied to males that are attracted to males, it could feasibly be used to define just about anybody that is attracted to the same gender. This is a pretty simple one to understand, and we are positive that you already had an inkling about what being homosexual entails.
Nowadays, if you hear it, it is likely to only be for a male to male attraction, although do bear in mind that it will have those different definitions depending on who you ask.
Lesbian
Lesbian, of course, signifies female to female attraction. Once again, these people can be regarded as homosexual, but lesbian seems to be the preferred term for anybody that is looking for that female to female to love. A lesbian does not have attraction to men in the slightest! Obviously, if you are a lesbian, then there is a good chance that you could fall into some of the other categories that we are going to talk about on this page!
Bisexual
If you are a bisexual, then it means that you are attracted to both men and women. You would be equally happy with either of them. However, a lot of the people that regard themselves as bisexual often find that they prefer a specific sex. Obviously, they are able to ‘swing both ways’ if somebody catches their eye.
However, most bisexual people prefer one sex, and they may look at other people as well. In fact, a lot of bisexual people often find that there are only certain people of the opposite sex they are attracted to.
Pansexual
As a pansexual, you have the capability to look beyond gender or sexual preferences of people. You could potentially be attracted to anybody. Obviously, there still needs to be a small amount of romantic or sexual attraction there. It doesn’t mean that you are going to go about sleeping with everybody that you can get your hands on, as some people would have you believe.
Bicurious
A lot of people will see bicurious and bisexual as the same, and they are in some degrees. However, bicurious does not always mean the same thing. If you are bicurious, it means that you may have a desire to sleep with somebody of the same sex, but you may not ever act upon those urges. It is just a consideration in your mind.
Polysexual
If you are attracted to more than one gender, then you are regarded as a polysexual. A lot of people may assume that this definition is pretty much the same as bisexual, but it isn’t. If you are bisexual, it means that you are attracted to men or women. As a polysexual, you will be attracted to just about every gender out there.
Obviously, it does not mean that you will be attracted to all genders, it just means that you will be attracted to more than one, at the very minimum. So, of course, you can be a bisexual and polysexual. However, being polysexual does not necessarily mean that you are bisexual.
Monosexual
If you are a monosexual, then it means that you will only ever experience attraction to one sex. This, basically, means the opposite of bicurious. Straight people, gay people, and lesbian people are all monosexual because they only experience attraction for just one sex.
Remember: it does not mean that you are attracted to the opposite sex here, it just means that you are attracted to one sex, and one sex only. This is one of the many sexuality definitions on this page where you will see a bit of overlap with other groups. You literally cannot be a monosexual without falling into one of the categories.
Allosexual
This is the opposite to being an asexual (more on that soon), it simply means that you experience sexual attraction to people. That is it. There are no other determiners on whether somebody is an allosexual or not. If you experience sexual attraction regularly, then you an allosexual.
Androsexual
As an androsexual, you will be sexually and romantically attracted to anybody that has a masculine personality. Of course, this means mostly men. However, if a female has a more masculine personality, then there is a strong chance that you will end up feeling a small amount of attraction towards them too.
Gynosexual
Gynosexual means that you are attracted to people that act feminine. It does not necessarily mean that you are attracted to women only. If you are a gynosexual, then you would have absolutely no issues being attracted to a man, as long as that man has somewhat of a feminine personality.
Of course, most people that are gynosexual will likely find the vast majority of their time is spent being attracted to the female sex, mostly because it is those that often have the most feminine personalities. You would not be attracted to a female that acts masculine.
Questioning
If you are unsure as to what your sexual identity is, then you are said to be ‘questioning’. It means that you are still trying to get to grips with who you are as a person. Basically, questioning means that you are at the ‘in between’stage before you have worked out what your sexual preference actually is. A lot of people may find that they often enter the questioning stage. You may find that you change sexual preference a lot, particularly in your younger years.
Asexual
If you are an asexual, it means that you do not have any sort of sexual attraction ever. Some asexual people claim that they do feel sexual attraction on occasion. If you do, then it is more-likely that you are a grey asexual instead. Of course, being an asexual does not mean that you are not going to be experiencing romantic feelings ever.
It just means that you are not going to be wanting sex with the people that you are experiencing those romantic feelings for. If you are in a relationship with an asexual, then it is going to be a sexless relationship.
Demisexual
If you are demisexual, it means that you tend not to be sexually attracted to people. The only time that you do end up being sexually attracted to a person is once you have worked hard on building up a quality emotional relationship with them. People that are demisexual are never going to find any sort of attraction to a random person in the street.
Most demisexual people will often spend a lot of time feeling attracted to their friends, although the person does not necessarily need to be a friend, as long as there is some sort of emotional connection between the people.
Grey Asexual
If you are grey asexual, it means that you do not really have any sexual attraction. It is going to happen on occasion but, the majority of the time, there is no sexual spark. This does not mean that you cannot be romantically attracted to somebody, but there is a good chance that even if you are romantically attracted to somebody, you are not going to have any sexual feelings for them. People that have grey asexuality do have sex, but it is not going to be a regular occurrence by any stretch of the imagination.
Perioriented
This is when you are sexually attracted to the same people you are romantically attracted to. For example: if you are a straight man then you want to love and have sex with women. If you are gay, then both of these would be men. It is pretty much seen as the ‘normal’ way to be attracted to people.
Again, we are pretty hesitant to use the term normal here, because every sexuality listed on this page is seen as normal by somebody. However, when we are saying ‘normal’, we are talking about how the vast majority of the population acts. After all, the vast majority of the population will want sex with the same people they want to love.
Varioriented
This is a term that does have a somewhat confusing definition. In fact, it took a good amount of research to come up with the perfect definition for you her.e. Basically, this is varioriented:
- You are romantically attracted to one gender (or multiple genders)
- You are sexually attracted to the opposite genders (or multiple genders)
It basically means that your sexuality is different depending on whether you are looking for romance or pure sex. For example; you could be a man and be attracted to women for romantic liaisons, but when you want some cold, hard sex then you may go for men. People define this as a ‘mismatch’. It is a bit different to bisexuality because the mismatch could be different sexualities. It does not necessarily need to mean straight one way and gay the other.
Heteronormative
If you are heteronormative, you are straight. When you are heteronormative, you are not actually denying the existence of other sexualities. They do exist to you. However, you believe that they are the ‘wrong’ way to be living. In your mind, the only correct way to be living your life is if you are straight.
Everything else is wrong. Obviously, this is a term that is often used as a derogatory term but, there are actually some people that will outwardly claim that they are heteronormative.
Erasure
Erasure is a term that does come under some debate. Once again, this is not a specific sexuality. Instead, it is a term used to talk about people that deny certain sexualities exist. In the past, erasure meant that you were denying that bisexuality was a thing, although most people now see it as a far, far more expanded term and can be used to determine anybody that denies other forms of sexuality exist (outside of being straight)
To be honest with you, nobody is actually going to label themselves as erasure. Not unless they are completely stupid, at least. If this term is used, then it is going to be used in a derogatory way. If somebody says ‘erasure’ to you, then chances are it is because you are denying the history of certain sexualities, or at least trying to rewrite it.
Cishet
This is a very specific term. In order to be regarded as cishet, you need to:
- Be straight (i.e. a heterosexual)
- Identify as the gender you were born as
A lot of people use Cishet as a derogatory term, although when it is used as that, you will normally be called ‘cis’. If you do not meet either of the critier on the list above, then you are not cishet. There will not really be a specific identifier for you here. If you are called a ‘cishet’ or ‘cis’, it doesn’t necessarily mean that somebody is trying to attack you, but you may want to read what you wrote or consider what you said to them just to be 100% sure.
Remember; cishet is not really a definition of a sexuality. Chances are that you will likely be more attracted to other people that are cishet. It is is more of a way to help categorize people in various sexuality movements.
Polyamorous
If you are polyamorous, then this means that you are not opposed to having relationships with multiple people at a time. Obviously, you will need to ensure that your partners are happy with it, but if they are, then it is fair game to have multiple partners. As you may have guessed, this is a term that is going to be overlapping with a few of the other terms on this list.
For example; you can be both polyamorous, as well as queer. You can also be polyamorous and also heterosexual. It isn’t really a specific type of sexuality, but more of a way you practice your sexuality.
Monoamorous
If you are monoamorous, then this means that you will have just one partner. Basically, this is going to be the opposite of polyamorous. Obviously, this does not mean that you are not going to be attracted to other people. However, once you have committed to a relationship, that is it. You will hoping that this relationship lasts you for the rest of your life. It doesn’t always work out like that, but one can always hope, yes?
Queer
In the past, if you were ‘queer’ it meant you were gay. However, nowadays, this is a sexuality that can apply to just about anybody that is not heterosexual. You may find that there are still some people that use the older definition of the word, but it is becoming phased out in most circles. In fact, this is why the Q was added to the end of LBGT. It now means that acronym is a lot more inclusive than it was in the past!
Ally
This is a term that is applied to a heterosexual person that is ‘down’ with the rights of the LBGTQ crowd. So, if you are straight and supportive of gay rights (among others) then you will be regarded as an ally. However, do bear in mind that this is not actually a type of sexuality. Generally speaking, being an ally is not really going to change who you are attracted to, it is more going to be a political leaning.
Remember; these types of sexuality are just a small subset of all the various sexualities out there. As mentioned several times; there is a good chance that you will fall into multiple different categories here. Try not to force yourself into one category. If you feel that you can fit into other categories, then that is fine. Just make sure that you actually meet the definition before you go around telling people what you identify as.
