What is the multisexual spectrum?
Multisexual is an umbrella term for sexualities that like more than one gender. The main ones in this group are bisexual, polysexual, pansexual, omnisexual and abrosexual. Some micro labels also fall under this umbrella. The multisexual spectrum is the collection of all of these labels together.
Some people use multisexual as its own identity instead. It’s about liking more than one gender, but has a vaguer definition than the others. This label appeals to people who don’t like putting themselves in restrictive boxes. People who aren’t sure which label fits them best might use this too. Anyone who relates to the definition can use it if they want.
Bisexual:
Bisexual people are attracted to two or more genders. This can include nonbinary people. Some people don’t realise that. In fact, not all bisexual people like both men and women. The two genders they like could be men and nonbinary people. It could be women and agender people. It could be any combination, really. They’re still bisexual, even though it’s not the common way non-bi people think of bisexuality.
Famous bisexual celebrities:
- Billie Joe Armstrong.
- Margaret Cho.
- Stephanie Beatriz.
Is bisexuality transphobic?
No. Bisexuality itself isn’t transphobic. It can be used against trans people though. Transphobes do this by treating trans people as a separate group of people from cis men and women. You can be bi and like a trans person without your sexuality changing. Trans men are men and trans women are women. Also, bi people can like nonbinary people. Being bi is only transphobic when someone uses it in that way on purpose.
Pansexual:
Pansexual people are attracted to all genders, and some people describe themselves as “genderblind”. This means that gender doesn’t affect their attraction much or at all. Some pan people claim the phrase “hearts before parts”. Not all people of other sexualities are okay with that though because it isn’t exclusive to pan people. All groups have people that value personality more than appearance.
Famous pansexual people:
- Cara Delevingne.
- Janelle Monáe.
- Yungblud.
Is pansexuality biphobic?
No. Pan is a different label to bi. They are similar, but not the same. Pan people aren’t “actually bi” or “spicy bi”. The difference matters to some people, while others use both terms interchangeably. It isn’t biphobic to relate more to a newer label. Both groups face the same issues, and infighting just distracts us from that. We need to work together to fight bigotry.
Polysexual:
Polysexual people are attracted to some, but not all, genders. There is an overlap with bisexuality, but the difference matters to people. Bi means two or more, while poly means several. Some people class polysexuality as liking three or more genders.
It’s very hard to find polysexual celebrities, so please leave a comment if you know any!
Omnisexual:
Omnisexual people are attracted to people of all genders. Gender plays a big part in their attraction though. This is what makes them different to pansexual people- gender doesn’t affects pan people’s attraction much or at all.
It’s very hard to find omnisexual celebrities, so please leave a comment if you know any!
Abrosexual:
Abrosexual people have a sexuality that changes over time. This could be over days, weeks, months or even years. Also it could be between any sexualities. This is definitely least known or understood sexuality on this list.
Abrosexuality is the hardest label on this list to imagine for non-abrosexual people. How can your sexuality constantly change? Well, some genderfluid people use this label. When their gender shifts, the label they used before may not be accurate anymore. For example, if someone likes girls and their gender shifts from a feminine one to a masculine one, the label ‘lesbian’ might not feel right anymore.
Other abrosexual people’s attraction changes over time, in different ways. It could get stronger, weaker or shift towards different genders. An example of this is a person who likes men and women, but over time their attraction to each gender varies. At some points, they might even class themselves as gay or straight. This can apply to any sexualities.
It’s okay to not understand. There are are some experiences that not everyone will get. It’s not an excuse to be rude or dismissive though. As the internet saying goes: “I don’t understand Korean but it’s still a language”.
It’s very hard to find abrosexual celebrities, so please leave a comment if you know any!
Aren’t these multisexual spectrum identities all the same? (Bi vs Poly vs Pan vs Omni:)
No. All labels are similar, but have key differences. It does get a bit confusing but bear with me.
- Bisexual – likes 2+ genders.
- Polysexual – likes 3+ genders.
- Pansexual – likes all genders and gender doesn’t make a difference.
- Omnisexual – likes all genders but gender make a difference.
As you can see, someone who likes more than two genders could fit into more than one of these groups at the same time. This is one reason that some people don’t like how many labels the multisexual spectrum has- it’s a bit messy. This spectrum is so diverse though that no one label covers everyone’s experience. In my view, it’s better to have several messy definitions than restrict it one single label. It lets people explore their identity freely and find others more like them this way.
What if I think their label is wrong?
Someone else’s identity is never yours to decide. You might not agree with the label they use but that is not yours to change. You do not know their feelings better than they do. Also, you don’t have the right to force your view on them, even if you believe you’re right. Gatekeeping never helps long term.
What is the opposite of multisexual?
Good question! It isn’t used much, but the opposite is monosexual. It means attraction to just one gender. This word doesn’t have that much use though. Monosexual identities like gay and straight are so different that they don’t need a word that groups them together much. People use the word most when comparing experiences and identities like gay and straight to multisexual ones.
Does the multisexual spectrum have a romantic attraction version?
Yes! It has the same labels as the multisexual spectrum, but instead of sexual attraction it’s for romantic attraction. The same definitions apply (once you swap out the word, that is).
People don’t talk about the multiromantic spectrum as much as they should. It mostly applies to asexual and aromantic spectrum people as their sexual and romantic attractions are different to each other. Most of the wider LGBTQ community doesn’t need to separate their attraction, so only a few groups use the SAM. That stands for the Split Attraction Model. You can find out more about here.
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2 replies on “The Multisexual Spectrum, Explained For New People:”
Nice post!
Dejligt indlæg, jeg har delt det med mine venner.