From demisexual to cisgender and disphorasexual to autosexual, here are 12 words for 12 months, redefining love and sexuality over the course of the year.
Asexual
No sex please, we’re asexual! Although people experience asexuality in different ways, being asexual – or ace – basically means having little or no sexual desire.
While many aces don’t want to pursue sexual activity, they may still seek to build a meaningful relationship with a partner.
Autosexual
You might think you’re pretty hot, but being autosexual is about more than just that.
Someone who’s autosexual is more attracted to – more sexually turned on by – themselves than other people, and may be more interested in solo sex than sex with a partner.
After all, if you want something done right…
Bicurious
Someone who’s bicurious is potentially very (very, very) open to the idea of exploring sexual relations with people they’re not usually attracted to.
With this heightened curiosity, sometimes it doesn’t take much for a bicurious individual to get a little more adventurous in exploring their desires.
Ultimately, it’s about taking the time to see where this curiosity leads and figure things out.
Chemsex
If someone asks you if you’re into “chem” on a hook-up site, then it’s got nothing to do with your Chemistry major and everything to do with drugs.
Chemsex, or having sex while on drugs, may rely on psychoactive substances to make your senses spin, but it has also led many followers into addictions that can be very difficult to shake.
Cisgender
Cis individuals have a gender identity that matches their birth sex.
Particularly at ease with their social sex, these privileged individuals can skip through life with no announcements to make or administrative battles to fight.
But they do experience pressure to conform to society’s expectations of their gender – to be sensitive and like ponies if you’re a woman, or to never cry and know how to fix the glove box if you’re a man.
Demisexual
If you find yourself getting turned on by Paul Rudd or Kendall Jenner, then you’re definitely not demisexual.
A demisexual person can only feel physical desire for someone with whom they have a strong emotional connection.
A one-night stand is a concept that just cannot be entertained. But that doesn’t mean that relationships can’t ever be more than platonic.
Dysphorasexual
Being dysphorasexual is defined as being sex-repulsed or averse due to the act of sex-triggering dysphoria – a profound state of unease or unhappiness.
In short, if you want to send a dysphorasexual person running for the hills, just hold up a picture showing some sexual shenanigans.
The very thought of the act of sex is unbearable to them.
Hypersexual
You’ll need plenty of stamina if you’re living with someone who’s hypersexual. Once called satyrs or nymphomaniacs, the term hypersexual may be nicer, but it’s no less frantic.
Expect it everywhere, all the time. You’ve been warned. Are you in? Fasten your seatbelt because you might be in for the ride of your life!
Non-binary
Non-binary people may feel male or female, a combination of both, or neither at all. They may take a little longer to grapple with administrative forms, and may well end up ripping them to shreds. Mr, Mrs or Ms?
Errr, it doesn’t quite work like that.
The term gender dysphoria is also used to describe the sense of unease experienced when someone’s gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.
Pansexual / panromantic
Pansexual people are to sex what the omnivore is to food. They’re open to anything.
A pansexual person does not take into account the gender of the person they are attracted to.
They will be seduced by any combination of an individual’s qualities – their personality, their aura, their self – with sex being the expression of this romantic and spiritual love.
Polyamorous / Polysexual
Polyamorous people are not exclusive.
They sustain several romantic relationships at the same time, with the informed consent of all parties involved.
These free and open love affairs can be based around various structures and boundaries.
In fact, polyamorous people have inevitably become communication pros to keep everything running smoothly.
Still, organisation can prove a headache when it comes to hosting big family events.
Throuple
It’s Saturday night and your spouse has invited a throuple to dinner? So, add a plate.
A throuple is like 1+1+1 = 2 – a couple, but with three people. As relationships go, it runs deeper than a simple threesome.
Here, the whole territory of the couple is explored in trio. Some countries have even recognised throuples officially, like Colombia, which allowed a marriage between three men in 2017.