Homoromantic
Romantic attraction to people of the same gender.
Homoromantic means being romantically attracted to people of your own gender. It is written separately from gay or lesbian because it names only the romantic half, leaving the sexual half unstated.
It is mostly used by people whose two orientations differ. Homoromantic asexual is the common case: someone who falls in love with people of their own gender and experiences no sexual attraction to anyone.
For someone whose romantic and sexual orientations match, gay or lesbian usually does the job in one word, which is why the term turns up most often on the ace spectrum.
Homoromantic is not a euphemism for gay
It is sometimes read as a way of avoiding the word gay, which misreads the purpose. Gay states both orientations at once; homoromantic states one and leaves the other open.
That is useful precisely when the two differ, which is why the word is common among ace people and rare elsewhere.
Saying it well
Say this
- I am homoromantic.
- Homoromantic asexual.
- Romantically, same gender. Sexually, nobody.
- Homoromantic, which is not the same as saying gay.
Not this
- So you are just gay
- Why not use a normal word
- That is a complicated way of saying lesbian
- Pick one
Questions people actually ask
What does homoromantic mean?
Being romantically attracted to people of the same gender.
Is homoromantic the same as gay?
Not quite. Gay states romantic and sexual orientation together; homoromantic states only the romantic one.
Who uses the word?
Most often people whose romantic and sexual orientations differ, particularly on the asexual spectrum.