The 13 types of homosexuality: definition and characteristics

Currently sexuality is ceasing to be a taboo subject. Although some communities, countries and laws appear to lag behind on this issue, worldwide is talking openly about all the nuances that exist in terms of orientations sexual.

One of these orientations is homosexuality. Generally speaking, a homosexual person is attracted to people of the same sex.

However, there is a wide spectrum of sexual identities, which roughly divide homosexuality into 12 types. We talk to you here about all of them.

Types of homosexuality: definition and characteristics

Sexual identity is complex, and its typecasting does not work well. For this reason is that definitions have now been expanded on the various sexual orientations that exist and that they are as diverse as there are people.

However, homosexuality seems to remain one of the most well-known sexual orientations to all. But the people who are, also have different traits and inclinations, let's know the types of homosexuality that exist.

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1. Exclusive homosexuality

As already mentioned, homosexuality is defined as the sexual or affective attraction that someone feels for a person of the same sex. Exclusive homosexuality refers to people who decide to associate only with other homosexual people.

Cisgender people (who identify and live with the gender assigned at birth according to their biology), transgender (who do not feel identified and do not live according to the gender that was assigned to them according to their biological sex and go to hormonal treatments) or transsexuals (who do not feel identified and do not live according to the gender that was assigned to them according to their biological sex and go to surgery) can be gay or not.

1.1 Gay

Gays refer to people who identify with the male sex or who were born as people of the male sex and who are erotically or emotionally attracted to people of their same sex.

1.2 Lesbian

Lesbians are people who identify with the female sex or who were born female and who are erotically or emotionally attracted to people of the same sex.

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2. Main homosexual with sporadic heterosexual contacts

Gay people don't necessarily restrict their relationships to gay people. There are those who, despite being homosexual, become attracted to people heterosexuals and choose to relate to them in some way without this being their main form to relate.

3. Main heterosexual with sporadic homosexual contacts

There are heterosexual people who decide to have infrequent homosexual relationships. They are not homosexual, they are not considered that way. They simply decide to have homosexual contact for various reasons: by chance attraction, by experiment, by fleeting desire.

4. Affective-sexual homosexual

Most homosexual people present this type of homosexuality. It refers to relationships in which they are involved in a sexual way but in which there is also an affective bond, so they maintain a romantic relationship. There are homosexual people who keep their relationships hidden for various reasons, and others who openly live their emotional relationship.

5. Sexual homosexual

Sexual homosexual people are physically attracted to people of the same sex. However, it is common that they do not feel emotional attraction other than for people who are contrary to their sex. In this way it can happen that they maintain a romantic relationship, even stable, with someone of the other sex, but maintain intimate homosexual relationships.

6. Affective homosexual

An affective homosexual does not necessarily feel physically attracted to someone of the same sex. You are romantically attracted to people of your gender and do not always have a need for intimate relationships. Nevertheless This goes beyond a friendship relationship, it is about the pleasure of maintaining a close relationship.

7. Bisexual

A person who identifies as bisexual is attracted to both genders. Both affectively and erotically, bisexuals can relate to and be attracted to men and women regardless of their own gender or sex with which they identify. Some bisexuals prefer to interact more with some than with others, but their desire is latent.

8. Bisexual with homosexual preferences

Bisexuals with homosexual preferences are more inclined towards relating to their own sex. Although they have desire for both sexes, their attraction is stronger for people of the same sex. It is not just a decision, it refers to an impulse in your sexual desire that makes homosexual desire more latent.

9. Pansexual

Pansexuals are mistaken for bisexuals. However, pansexuality is different from bisexuality. This type of homosexuality refers to the attraction to all people regardless of their sex, orientation, gender and sexual inclination. It is a type of homosexuality that is more inclined to not have a defined attraction towards one or the other.

10. Polysexual

Polysexual homosexuals are attracted to someone based on their gender identity. For these people the biological sex is not important but the identity of the people. Thus, a polysexual homosexual seeks relationships with people who identify with their biological sex.

11. Asexual

Asexual people do not feel any type of sexual desire. Regardless of their gender identity, they are people who are not interested in being intimate with anyone. Although sometimes they do like to have romantic relationships. In this range there are asexuals who can maintain very sporadic intimate relationships.

12. Graysexual

Graysexuals have sporadic sexual desire for other people. They are usually asexual but show an interest in establishing intimate contact with someone specific. They usually only feel it for a short stage, and then return to absolute asexuality.

Bibliographic references

• Davis, E. C. (2009). Situating “Fluidity”: (Trans) Gender Identification and the Regulation of Gender Diversity. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 15 (1), 97-130. Duke University Press.
• Roughgarden, J. (2004). Evolution and the Embodiment of Gender. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 10 (2), 287-291. Duke University Press.