How do you know if your gay or bi
List of LGBTQ+ terms
A
Abro (sexual and romantic)
A word used to describe people who possess a fluid sexual and/or quixotic orientation which changes over noun, or the course of their life. They may use alternative terms to describe themselves over time.
Ace
An umbrella term used specifically to describe a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of sexual attraction. This encompasses asexual people as well as those who identify as demisexual and grey-sexual. Ace people who experience romantic attraction or occasional sexual attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their romantic or sexual attraction.
Ace and aro/ace and aro spectrum
Umbrella terms used to describe the wide group of people who experience a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of romantic and/or sexual attraction, including a lack of attraction. People who identify under these umbrella terms may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not lim
mbg Contributor
Marj Ostani is a writer and artist producing feminist-centric works in BIPOC communities. Their works have been published in Next Shark, Bitch Media, Archer Magazine, Bobblehaus, The Scoop Asia, and more.
Expert review by
ASSECT-certified sex therapist
Chamin Ajjan, LCSW, A-CBT, CST, is a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and AASECT-certified sex therapist based in Brooklyn, NY.
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Things you need to know if you’re questioning whether you’re lesbian or bi
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve discovered you like the same sex, but are not quite sure whether that makes you lesbian or bisexual. Although we shouldn’t perceive pressure to label ourselves, it can be beneficial to search our identities.
For many queer people, figuring out one’s sexuality is not always an easy process. Sexuality is complex and can often get confusing (and even downright overwhelming!). Your sexuality may not be so black and white, and you may detect yourself being attracted to multiple different genders. On top of this, being raised in a heteronormative society can make figuring out one’s sexuality all the more complicated.
For women and nonbinary folks, it can sometimes be even more difficult to distinguish where we fall on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. We grew up with little to no representation of queer women and nonbinary people in the media. In addition to no women-loving women romance to look up to, we’re ingrained from a fresh age that our purpose is to fall in lo
Am I bi, gay, pansexual, or something else?
Dear Reader,
It’s authentic that society tends to verb people in boxes with plain labels, especially as they pertain to sexuality, and you’re certainly not the only one who finds this frustrating. Identity can be complex, and one-word labels, whether they describe sexual orientation or another identity category, often don’t adequately capture every facet of an individual’s experiences. Often people feel that singular labels can only offer a brief summary of the thoughts, feelings, and experiences that make up their existence. What can be important to remember is it’s okay to exchange labels as you see fit, it’s also okay not to use them at all. Ultimately, the way you define your sexual orientation is a decision for you to make based on what you feel comfortable with at a given point in your life. That being said, you might consider “unlabeled” or “pomosexual” as terms that could detail how you’re feeling at the moment (more on this later).
While labels can be limiting for some, they can also be useful and even liberating