Most Common Sexualities

Most of us have come across the umbrella term LGBT, but a lot of us fail to understand the abbreviations and the spectrum of sexuality from the normative hetero to homo. Sexuality refers to the sexual preference or sexual attraction of a person towards other people. Some of the most common sexualities are:

Heterosexual:

People who are attracted to the opposite sex are called as Heterosexuals. These sum up most of the population, the majority which is portrayed and is highly influential as a result of the impact of media, culture and tradition.

Homosexual:

People who are attracted to the same sex are called as homosexuals.Female homosexuals are called ‘lesbians’ and male homosexuals are called ‘gay’.

Bisexual:

People who are attracted to both the sexes (male and female) are called as Bisexuals. The degree to which a person is attracted to one of these sexes compared to the other, may vary. A girl might be more attracted to men than she is to women, yet she identifies as Bi.

Pansexual:

Pansexuals are attracted to all people regardless of their gender and sex. They can be attracted to people who identify themselves as males, females, transgender, intersex, androgynous and more. A lot of Pansexuals are open to their options beyond the boundaries of labels.

Asexual:

People who are not sexually attracted to anybody, and don’t derive pleasure from sexual experience with themselves or others are called Asexuals. They can’t experience sexual attraction. They can however, feel romantic attraction.

Demisexual:

Demisexuals are people who feel sexual attraction towards a person only when there is an emotional bond involved. They need a meaningful, deep connection to be established in order to indulge in sexual practices. They might experience sexual experience in regard to emotions of being wanted, felt, needed and loved, rather than just lust, which doesn’t necessarily involve feelings.

Autosexual:

Autosexuals are people who are sexually attracted towards themselves. They find themselves attractive and are not attracted to others. They like being physically intimate with themselves than with others.

Queer:

Queer is an umbrella term for those who do not identify themselves as heterosexuals or cisgenders. This inclusive term gives them space to explore themselves and fall under the LGBTQIA+ community. They do not confirm to a specific gender or sex and consider it fluid.

When we talk about sexuality, it becomes important to remember that gender and sex are very different terms. Sex is about the biological structure of the body and gender is how one perceives themselves to be, to what they confer to. I might be a girl with my genitalia and my sexual organs, but I might identify as a male. It is also essential to use the pronouns that people prefer rather than addressing them as Mr/Ms, He/she as we always do.

Sexuality Is a characteristic which may be a reflection of the genes or the environment. In the modern times, it has become a part of a huge revolution with people coming out and being more acceptable, these communities are finally getting the recognition and normality that they deserve, even as the taboo persist!