Multisexual
Attraction to more than one gender, as an umbrella.
Multisexual is the umbrella for attraction to more than one gender. Bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual and abrosexual all sit under it, and it exists so that the whole group can be discussed without listing each label.
It is mostly used in writing and research rather than as a self-description. Someone will usually say bisexual or pansexual about themselves and multisexual about the category.
Its counterpart is monosexual, for attraction to a single gender. The pair is useful precisely because the arguments people have about bisexuality usually concern the whole group rather than one label.
It is not a replacement for any of the words under it, and adopting it does not require giving up a more specific one.
Multisexual is an umbrella, not a preferred alternative
It occasionally gets proposed as the word everyone should use instead of the more specific ones, which is not what it is for.
It is a category term, useful in writing and research. The specific words remain what people use about themselves.
Saying it well
Say this
- Multisexual identities.
- Bisexual and pansexual are both multisexual.
- The umbrella term, for writing about the group.
- I am bisexual, which is a multisexual orientation.
Not this
- So pick one of the real words
- That is just bisexual
- Nobody identifies as multisexual
- Another unnecessary label
Questions people actually ask
What does multisexual mean?
Attraction to more than one gender, used as an umbrella term.
Which orientations are multisexual?
Bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual and abrosexual, among others.
Do people identify as multisexual?
Rarely. It is mostly used for writing about the category rather than as a self-description.
What is the counterpart?
Monosexual, for attraction to a single gender.