Ryan Handson
A lot of us grew up in a society where people were either straight, gay, or lesbian, but times are changing – and sexual preferences are evolving. Today, dozens of terms are used to describe an individual’s sexual orientation – most of which you’ve probably never heard of before.
What Is Abrosexuality?
Abrosexuality, also known as sexual fluidity, is when someone’s sexuality changes by the hour, day, week, month, or year. They might be sexually attracted to men one day, women the next, and both genders next week – there’s really no rhyme or reason to it.
Some people confuse the term with abroromantic, which refers to the frequent changing of someone’s romantic interests (as opposed to sexual interests). Others confuse it with bisexuality, which is when someone is attracted to both genders – but it doesn’t fluctuate, as is the case with abrosexuality.
2015: Mod Chad Develops Abrosexual Pride Flag
The term abrosexuality was first recognized in 2013 by an unknown user on DeviantArt – an online art community that features artwork, videography, and photography. The user also shared a photo of the proposed flag for the term.
The flag, which features five colors (dark green, light green, white, light pink, and dark pink), started gaining popularity on Tumblr in 2015. It wasn’t long before people started to identify themselves as abrosexual – and that’s how it came to be!
Abrosexuality vs. Pansexuality vs. Asexuality
Pansexual people are attracted to anyone, no matter what their gender or sexual orientation is. This is different from abrosexuality because pansexual people don’t experience the rapid changing of orientation – their orientation stays the same.
Asexuality is when someone doesn’t feel sexually attracted to anyone. While some abrosexual people will experience asexuality at times, their preferences are subject to change at random – which isn’t the case with asexuality.
Other Sexualities Under The Multisexual Umbrella
Abrosexuality falls under the multisexual umbrella – a group of sexualities that are attracted to more than one gender. Other sexual orientations that fall under this category include bisexuality, pansexuality, polysexuality, omnisexuality, and ambisexual – among others.
The opposite of multisexuality would be monosexuality – when someone is attracted to only one gender. Being straight, gay, or lesbian would fall in this category. While monosexuality is what many consider ‘normal,’ people are finally starting to open up to and normalize all sexualities.
Who Is Emma Flint?
One of those people is Emma Flint – an abrosexual journalist who is becoming a major voice in the abrosexual community. She has articles published in Digital Spy, DIVA Magazine, The Sixth Axis, Mercury Magazine, Femedic, Inverse, WIRED, and more.
One of her latest pieces – an article published in The Metro – is going viral as she attempts to educate others about what abrosexuality is and why it’s important we recognize, acknowledge, and respect those who identify as abrosexual.
Flint Has Always Struggled With Sexual Identity
Emma Flint has always been aware of her ever-changing sexuality, but she never knew why – and never had a community to identify with. She would try to explain it to others, but no one took the time to understand her orientation and preferences.
“Before learning about abrosexuality, I felt lost, as if out at sea. I also felt like a fraud because of how much I changed my identity when chatting with loved ones,” she wrote. “One day I felt like I was a lesbian, yet days or weeks later, I’d feel more aligned with bisexuality. My sexuality was fluid.”
Flint Didn’t Come Out Until 2020
It wasn’t until 2020 that she came out to her friends, but she was shocked by the lack of support she received from some – albeit not all. One friend, in particular, scoffed at her words in what was likely a very vulnerable moment for her.
“When did you decide this? Is this even a label – I’ve never heard of it. I support you, obviously, but this doesn’t sound real,” she recalled one of her friends writing in a text message – describing it as ‘judgmental’ and ‘immediately doubtful.’
Zoe Stoller Introduced Her To The Term
Flint credits her discovery to Zoe Stoller – an American creator, educator, and social worker who is revered by many in the LGBTQ+ community. She came across the term ‘abrosexuality’ when Stoller posted about it on social media.
“You know in cartoons when a lightbulb appears above their heads? That’s how it felt when I read their post. Finally, I feel seen,” Flint wrote, adding that, while she had a few bad experiences telling friends, most of her friends and family supported her.
Stoller Says Sexuality Isn’t Always Static And Unchangeable
In an interview with The Mirror, Stoller opened up about what it means to be abrosexual and how some people might see their orientation change by the day – some even by the hour!
“It’s important to remember that our sexualities and labels are not necessarily static and unchangeable – they can naturally shift over time, or change in response to our environment,” she said. “And we also have the agency to switch up our labels whenever we see fit.”
Flint Wants People To Be Curious, But Respectful
When telling her friends and family, Flint quickly realized that her orientation often resulted in confusion – noting the blank expressions she received. While she says there’s nothing wrong with questioning what the term means, she says it’s important to remain respectful.
“And questions are fine, as long as they’re respectful. I’m not expecting everyone to know what it means – hell, I didn’t until two years ago – but you should always listen with respect,” she wrote in her article on The Metro.
How Does Being Abrosexual Affect Her Relationships?
One of the questions Flint gets asked often is how being abrosexual affects her love life – more specifically, how it affects her relationships with others. While she says it doesn’t, she gives a one-sided view of how it affects her – with little regard for how it affects the other person.
“It doesn’t alter my romantic relationships in the same way being bisexual doesn’t cause a person to feel any differently about their partner. I love the person, rather than their gender so it doesn’t matter if my sexuality fluctuates while I’m with them,” she said.
Flint Hopes To Normalize Abrosexuality
Nonetheless, Flint is on a mission to normalize abrosexuality. She wants people to treat abrosexuality like they would homosexuality or bisexuality – just another identity on the growing spectrum of orientations in today’s society.
“We’re all learning new things about ourselves all the time – that’s what growth and development is about,” she writes – adding that ‘acceptance can only come from education.’ She urges everyone to step outside their comfort zone and familiarize themselves with terms they might not know.
She No Longer Feels Restricted Or Nervous
Flint concluded her post by shouting out Zoe Stoller – without her, she wouldn’t feel comfortable in her own skin. While she has always known her preferences, she struggled to make sense of them and never had a sense of authenticity to go with them.
“Before coming out as abrosexual, I felt restricted, unable to be myself because I didn’t quite know how to accept the parts of me I didn’t understand,” she wrote. “Now that I know, I can put a name to my identity, and am excited to see how that fluidity emerges.“
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