Traci Muldoon

Muldoon 1

English 301
Professor Shen
9 March 2016
Sexual Orientation; A Spectrum
With the recent legalization of gay marriage and its slow progression of
acceptance in society, sexuality is a subject that plays a huge role in daily life and is
becoming a common and prominent theme in society as more time passes. According to
the American Psychological Association, sexual orientation refers to the sex or sexual
interest to whom one is sexually and romantically attracted to. Heterosexuality,
homosexuality and bisexuality are the three most familiar categories of sexual orientation
and make up for 98.9% of the sexual orientation among American adults (Ward 1, et al).
But what about the other 1.1% of sexualities? While these three categories continue to be
widely used to refer to all different sexualities, by those uninformed about the differences
in sexualities, sexual orientation itself is much more complex and doesnt always appear
with such definable categories, but instead occurs on a continuum, or in this case a
spectrum of a wide variety of sexual identities that most are unaware of (Kinsey 1948).
As most know, heterosexuality is the attraction to members of the opposite sex,
while homosexuality is the attraction to members of the same sex, and bisexuality is the
attraction to members of both sexes. However, biologist and professor Alfred Kinsey,
argues that males do not represent two discrete populations, heterosexual and
homosexual. The world is not to be divided into sheep and goats The living world is a

Muldoon 2
continuum in each and every one of its aspects, (Kinsey 639). Kinsey, working with his
colleagues Wardell Pomeroy and Clyde Martin, developed The HeterosexualHomosexual Rating Scale, in 1948. Also known as the Kinsey Scale, this rating scale
explains and classifies people that did not fit into the exclusive categories of
heterosexuality or homosexuality. Kinseys scale consists of six levels, with level 0 being
exclusively heterosexual and contains no homosexual desires, to level 6 being exclusively
homosexual, with no heterosexual desires. The remaining levels of the scale, in between
0 and 6, consist of sexualities with varying degrees of bisexuality.
Like any other social trait, a persons sexual preferences, attitudes, behaviors and
identities can be flexible to some degree. This was seen in Kinseys study, because while
the majority of men and women reported to be either exclusively heterosexual or
homosexual, many individuals in the study still disclosed behaviors and attraction
somewhere in between, according to the information found on KinseyInstitute.org.
One of these particular attributes is sexual fluidity. Sexual fluidity is a sexual
orientation in which one identifies as either homosexual or heterosexual, but changes
preferences based on their surrounding environment. For example, a woman may identify
as heterosexual, but given certain circumstances or by being introduced to a new
environment, she might develop a sexual interest in females for a bit of time, before her
environment or an event takes away said interest. All this without her being considered
genuinely bisexual. According to Dylan Selterman article, Explainer: What is Sexual
Fluidity?, bisexuality is defined as the romantic or sexual attraction to other people who
identify as either male or female; bi, of course, referring to the two basic genders. A

Muldoon 3
person who identifies as straight, but has sexual relations with someone else of the same
gender, does not necessarily make them bisexual, but the occurrence means they have
developed an infatuation only for an individual person who happens to be of the same
gender (Selterman). However, this does make them sexually fluid.
Very similar to sexual fluidity is heteroflexible. Heteroflexible is an orientation
that falls in between heterosexuality and bisexuality and refers to the orientation in which
one is mostly straight, but takes part in minimal homosexual activities.
Heteroflexibility is different than sexual fluidity, simply because it doesnt have to be
influenced by environment, this just means that the person is flexible with their sexuality,
however, they are not necessarily or completely fluid with it. The people under this
category are more bound to their heterosexual lifestyle, however, they will make
exceptions, but typically without commit within the exceptions.
Another identity residing on this spectrum is pansexuality. Exactly like someone
who is bisexual, a person who is pansexual is attracted to both males and females. The
difference is that the sexual attraction in pansexuals is focused mainly on traits instead of
the other persons sex, appearance or gender. In other words, they are capable of being
attracted to multiple sexes and gender identities, states David Bond, vice president of
LGBT crisis outreach, the Trevor Project (Grinberg).
While pansexuality is accepting of lovers with different gender identities, there
are a few sexual identities that coincide with this, as they find attraction or even
preference towards people with a different or queer gender identity. Skoliosexuality, a
good sexual preference to represent this fact, is the attraction to genderqueer or non-

Muldoon 4
binary people. This means skoliosexual people are only attracted to transsexual or
genderqueer individuals, with a complete disinterest in any other sexualities or body
forms. Androgynosexuality is another orientation to show this, with the attraction being
to both men and women with androgynous or gender non-binary appearance, and focuses
on genderqueer individuals in terms of the main physical attraction. Androgynosexuality
differs from skoliosexuality, in that it attracts to the outward appearance of androgynous
individuals, and skoliosexual is attracted to the inner genderqueer identity of the
individual.
But this leads, in turn, to some sexual orientations that actually prefer specific
gender features. Gynosexuality, for instance, is the sexual attraction towards women or
those with feminine characteristics, and in contrast, androsexuality (not to be confused
with androgynosexuality) is the sexual attraction towards men or those with masculine
characteristics.
While these sexual orientations and identities consist of the type and gender of an
individual that one may desire, there are also sexual identities that consist of specifics,
not in the person one might desire, but in the type of relationship. Polysexuality is a great
example, and is the orientation of one who is attracted to multiple genders/gender
identities and also to having multiple partners.
Demisexuality is the orientation in which an individual does not experience
sexual attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone, this
according to the Demisexuality Resource Center. When compared to the general
population, these individuals rarely experience sexual attraction and place the close

Muldoon 5
emotional connection as the primary attraction. The term demisexual, comes from the
orientation being "halfway between" sexual and asexual. However, this doesnt mean that
demisexuals have an incomplete or half sexuality. Generally, demisexuals are not
sexually attracted to a particular gender; however, when a demisexual is emotionally
connected to someone else, whether it be as a friend or romantic love, the individual
experiences sexual attraction and desire, but only towards the specific partner or partners
(The Asexual Visibility and Education Network).
Lastly, on the final sexualities on the spectrum is asexuality. This preference,
according to The Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), is the state in which
one does not experience sexual attraction towards any individuals or any gender. AVEN
states asexuality is different than celibacy, in that celibacy is strictly the choice of
refraining from sexual activity, while asexuality is a lack of attraction all together.
However, one who is asexual may choose to partake in sexual activity, while
experiencing no attraction or emotional connection.
There is no scientific evidence stating the exact reasons that an individual holds
the sexual orientation that they do. There has been research conducted to study the
possible genetic, developmental, hormonal, social, and cultural influences on sexual
orientation, but there has been no conclusive evidence that links these sexual orientations
to one or more factors (American Psychological Association 2008). But because of this,
with an even broader aspect of sexualities in which not everyone fits into the most
common categories, and let alone the individuals who do not even have a label at all, it
makes things harder to accept and understand for the public.

Muldoon 6
However, with the modernization of society, language about sexual orientation
and gender identity has developed and shifted. New words and labels are created, and
meanings are occasionally altered. This makes it easier for other to be able to describe
and be open about their identity and who they are. However, sexuality is so fluid and
complex that there may never be enough labels in the world to fully identify someones
self-identification. Language, or maybe just the terms for sexualities, will most likely
never catch up with the numerous identities and orientations, but we, as a society, can still
do our part to acknowledge the sexual identities that are less easily defined than most
others.

Muldoon 7
Works Cited

"Asexuality, Attraction, and Romantic Orientation/LGBTQ." Asexuality, Attraction, and

Romantic Orientation. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill/LGBT
Center, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2016. <https://lgbtq.unc.edu/asexuality-attraction-andromantic-orientation>.

"Definition of Terms: Sex, Gender, Identity, and Sexual Orientaton." American

Psychological Association (2011): n. pag. American Psychological Association. 18
Feb. 2011. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. <https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/sexualitydefinitions.pdf>.

"Demisexuality Resource Center." Demisexuality Resource Center. Demisexuality

Resource Center, 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. <http://demisexuality.org/articles/whatis-demisexuality/>.

Grinberg, Emanuella. "Pansexual: Definition, Cultural Context and More." CNN. Cable
News Network, 9 Nov. 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/09/living/pansexual-feat/>.

Seltermann, David. "Debunking Myths About Sexual Fluidity - | - Science of

Relationships." Science of Relationships. Dr. L Industries, LLC., 13 Oct. 2014.

Muldoon 8
Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.scienceofrelationships.com/home/2014/10/13/debunking-mythsabout-sexual-fluidity.html>.

Selterman, David. "Explainer: What Is Sexual Fluidity?" The Conversation. The

Conversation US, Inc, 23 Jan. 2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
<http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-sexual-fluidity-33120>.

The Asexual Visibility and Education Network. The Asexual Visibility and Education
Network, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. <http://www.asexuality.org/home/>.

"The Kinsey Institute - Kinsey Sexuality Rating Scale." The Kinsey Institute - Kinsey
Sexuality Rating Scale. Kinsey Institute/Indiana University, 1996. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/research/ak-hhscale.html>.

Ward, Brian W., Ph.D.; James M. Dahlhamer, Ph.D.; Adena M. Galinksy, Ph.D.; and
Sarah S. Joestl, Dr. PH., "Sexual Orientation and Health Among U.S. Adults:
National Health Interview Survey, 2013." National Health Statistics Reports 77
(2014): 1-4. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.