Monosexual
Attraction to one gender only.
Monosexual describes attraction to a single gender. Gay, lesbian and straight are all monosexual orientations; bisexual, pansexual and the rest are multisexual.
The word exists mostly so that a comparison can be made. Discussions about bi erasure need a term for the group doing the erasing, and normal is not it.
It is not a criticism. Being attracted to one gender is unremarkable, and the word is there to name a category rather than to complain about it.
Its counterpart, multisexual, covers everyone attracted to more than one gender and is useful for the same reason: writing about the whole group without listing every label.
Monosexual is a category, not a verdict
Because it usually appears in discussions of bi erasure, it gets heard as an accusation attached to the people it describes.
It does the same work as cisgender and allosexual: naming the case that would otherwise be assumed, so that it can be discussed.
Saying it well
Say this
- Monosexual orientations.
- The study compared monosexual and multisexual participants.
- Straight and gay are both monosexual.
- Monosexual is a category, not a criticism.
Not this
- So being straight is a problem now
- Why do we need a word for normal
- That is just gay or straight
- Monosexual sounds like an accusation
Questions people actually ask
What does monosexual mean?
Being attracted to one gender only.
Which orientations are monosexual?
Gay, lesbian and straight, among others.
Is monosexual a criticism?
No. It names a category so that comparisons can be made.
What is multisexual?
The counterpart: attraction to more than one gender.