Those of us in the LGBTQPUIA2S+ community have grown used to an expanding array of terms to describe us -- clinical, colloquial and otherwise -- but when asked by a friend to define "demisexual" and "lithromantic," I realized I was losing touch and that the "+" following the acronym was taking on more substance by the day.
Ironically enough, it seems that the most diverse set of terms about sexuality comes from the asexual community, like the two above. Once I started to stir the alphabet soup, I realized I couldn't be the only one who needed help. For the record, I'm not saying my confusion means the terms shouldn't exist. I just needed to find a way in.
Fortunately enough, Archie Comics' revamped Jughead characterrecently came out as asexual, just in time for the day when many of us feel socially coerced to express some kind of sexuality. For those of you who fit under that golf umbrella known as heterosexuality, you shouldn't have any lack of options to express yourself, but for those of us who squeeze under the telescoping kind, Valentine's Day is often a reminder of the ways in which we still don't see -- and just as importantly, the rest of society doesn't see -- many accurate representations of our community.
Some may wonder: are labels necessary at all? I think so. Labels can feel validating -- as well as limiting -- but what labels really represent is the fact that most of us want to feel like we belong somewhere. We want others with whom we can connect. More than twenty years ago, social psychologists Roy F. Baumeister and Mark R. Leary sought and found a large body of empirical evidence to support the following:
"...human beings are fundamentally and pervasively motivated by a need to belong, that is, by a strong desire to form and maintain enduring personal attachments."
Besides that most basic need, we use labels for all sorts of reasons so I'm not sure why some people get bent out of shape about the neologisms for sexuality. We stand in front of three hundred different cereals in a grocery store and don't seem distressed that Cheerios are available in Original, Honey Nut, Cinnamon Nut, Cinnamon Burst, Apple Cinnamon, Multigrain, Frosted, Yogurt Burst, Fruity, Oat Cluster Crunch, Banana Nut, Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Crunch, Peanut Butter and even Ancient Grain varieties. I don't know what all of those mean, but I don't care either.
My point is that you don't have to understand every single type of Cheerios -- do you have any idea what a Yogurt Burst is? -- in order to select the kind you like and get on with it.
Heart Candy image by SeeMidTN.com (aka Brent) used under CC license
As for heart candy, Necco cuts somewhere north of 6 billion individual hearts per year, which isn't quite enough for everyone on the planet, but close. So how are candy hearts like sexuality labels? They're both about connecting, about reaching across that great divide of otherness and even if for a moment, risking and sharing what is most precious about all of us: our hearts...and if you feel overwhelmed by all the new terms for sexuality, remember, even Necco has had a few questionable choices, e.g.,YOU ARE GAY. To be fair, they've retired it. They no longer put out HEPCAT or GROOVY either.
So for myself and for those of you who don't understand or even know about the rapidly changing "word world" of sexuality, here's a primer on the subject, using something that is a little easier to understand: heart candy.
[NOTE: You may want to test your own knowledge of sexuality terms BEFORE reading the list with the Perfect Match Quiz I designed.]
I'll state up front that this list is neither as comprehensive nor as nuanced as it could be, so if you still feel you need more, the baton is yours. Run with it...or if you're one of those people who hates multiple choice, here's my advice: stay away from the quiz.
...and the cereal aisle.
Here are the "answers" as I see them. Feel free to add more in the comments below.
Bottom line, times change. So does the lingo, and it will continue to grow long after these new terms become old, so be a HEPCAT and enjoy it.
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
My husbands former writing partner is now in a Polyamourus relationship. Both himself and his wife have outside relationships. I just don't get it.
That's a tough one for me to wrap my mind around as well.
flan
I think it would be easier if the wife was getting it on with a woman. Then I could wrap by head around it a bit more. But I just don't get how a husband could let his wife get railed by another guy.
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
My husbands former writing partner is now in a Polyamourus relationship. Both himself and his wife have outside relationships. I just don't get it.
That's a tough one for me to wrap my mind around as well.
flan
I think it would be easier if the wife was getting it on with a woman. Then I could wrap by head around it a bit more. But I just don't get how a husband could let his wife get railed by another guy.
It's just human nature to compare things.
Is there usually an emotional component to the outside relationships? I'm sure it varies from couple to couple, but I wonder.
My husbands former writing partner is now in a Polyamourus relationship. Both himself and his wife have outside relationships. I just don't get it.
That's a tough one for me to wrap my mind around as well.
flan
I think it would be easier if the wife was getting it on with a woman. Then I could wrap by head around it a bit more. But I just don't get how a husband could let his wife get railed by another guy.
My husbands former writing partner is now in a Polyamourus relationship. Both himself and his wife have outside relationships. I just don't get it.
That's a tough one for me to wrap my mind around as well.
flan
I think it would be easier if the wife was getting it on with a woman. Then I could wrap by head around it a bit more. But I just don't get how a husband could let his wife get railed by another guy.
Why would that be easier?
Because she is attracted to something that a man can't provide. Maybe she's bi or on her way to gayville.
All these people with the free expression of "love" remind me of the hippies. It comes back to bite you in the butt, and when they wake up and realize that is not what they want anymore, they are left to rebuild their lives. History repeating itself.
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
Does anyone know what PRIVATE MATTER means anymore?
It's ridiculous.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
My husbands former writing partner is now in a Polyamourus relationship. Both himself and his wife have outside relationships. I just don't get it.
- Bonny22Pye
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I "get it" on an intellectual level. And if that's what works for people in the relationship, great for them.
Is it easier if the husband gets it on with another man?
- weltschmerz
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I think it's easier for some outsiders to understand it if the extramarital partner is same sex, because a spouse in a heterosexual marriage or relationship obviously can't provide same-sex, sex. So they see "well, that's something they can't get at home".
Only certain people are allowed to go on vacation to certain places and then it's ok. Other people going on vacation to anywhere but Hawaii certainly it must be all about the money...lol
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“Until I discovered cooking, I was never really interested in anything.” ― Julia Child ―
But, yes, if money is the most important thing in your life, I guess trips to Vegas are important.
flan
LOL!!!! So anyone who ever takes a vacation it now automatically means that money is the "most important" thing in their life??
That is a flat out stupid statement.
And yet she goes to Hawaii every year. Pay her no mind.
Every other year. We work hard & I'm very grateful for the opportunity.
flan
So you get to go on vacation without money being the "most important" thing in your life but no one else does? You've proven my stuoid statement comment and also proven once again how hypocritical you are.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
I inhabit an awesome world. Just got back from another weekend in Vegas. It was great.
You could have mentioned NUMEROUS other reasons why your world was "awesome," but you chose A TRIP TO VEGAS.
And I'm the hypocrite?!
flan
So what? Vegas is awesome. I got to spend a weekend alone with my wife. We had a lot of fun. Why is that such a problem for you? Do you not have fun on vacation?
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
I inhabit an awesome world. Just got back from another weekend in Vegas. It was great.
You could have mentioned NUMEROUS other reasons why your world was "awesome," but you chose A TRIP TO VEGAS.
And I'm the hypocrite?!
flan
And you think we are the ones obsessed with money. Im not sure if its jealously or what, but you criticize everyone that even mentions spending money. I think you probably need to work some things out, because youre coming across as quite the miserable biddy...
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America guarantees equal opportunity, not equal outcome...
I need a vacation. We were going to take a staycation this week until SS messed it up.
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“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!” ― Maya Angelou
I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with a trip to Vegas. Scratching my head on this one.
Well, except for the epidemic of syphilis striking the city - absolutely nothing.
Was that before or after Husker was there?
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
As for vacation, a person plans and prepares for things that are important to them.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.