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Romantic Orientation


Chizadek

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I'll be interested as to what you guys think of these ideas.

The standard definitions for sexual orientation involve the direction of sexual attraction, and so in that sense asexuals (no sexual attraction) cannot be hetero/homo/bi-sexual. In this sexual sense, asexuality is an orientation.

However asexuals often identify according to these categories too. I suggest that to be precise, it may be better to talk of asexuals having romantic orientation, that is being hetero/homo/bi-romantic. I also like the owrds hetero/homo/bi-asexual, as they are also precise. To complete the idea, asexuals who do not experience romantic attraction are aromantic. In this romantic sense, aromanticity is an orientation, and asexuality is not.

Having said all this, its not often necessary for such precision. I suggest that often when sexuals who are unaware of asexuality think of 'sexual orientation' they are really concerned with romantic orientation. If I were asked if I'm heterosexual, I would probably find the most helpful answer to be yes, although certain contexts would require an answer involving the idea of asexuality.

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However asexuals often identify according to these categories too. I suggest that to be precise, it may be better to talk of asexuals having romantic orientation, that is being hetero/homo/bi-romantic. I also like the owrds hetero/homo/bi-asexual, as they are also precise. To complete the idea, asexuals who do not experience romantic attraction are aromantic. In this romantic sense, aromanticity is an orientation, and asexuality is not.

Yeah, I think we've had some threads similar to this with JKReagan who seems to have disappeared along with Davey(celebrate friendship guy?), lots of semantics involved, but basically a lot would agree...Check out the discussion in q & a about whether asexuality is an orientation...

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firewalkwithme

Hmmmm. . .Interesting. But yeah I feel like I am asexual, but also gay...but not in the wanting sex part...o_O obviously. I just prefer to fall in love with a guy. o_O lol Yur wording makes sense...and yet i might have messed it up, lol

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I suggest that often when sexuals who are unaware of asexuality think of 'sexual orientation' they are really concerned with romantic orientation.

Excellent point; certainly, those who have relationships with the opposite gender, and sex without emotional attachment with the same gender, often identify themselves as straight because they think that only the "romantic orientation" counts.

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98slbrookes98

I am romantically, spiritually and emotionally attractedto women and women only. I don't call myself homosexual an more for onvious reasons, I call myself an asexual lesbian.

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I do think the tide is turning (slooooowly), in terms of "affectional orientation" getting some widely-accepted meaning attached to it. I've seen early examples of that term written into things like municipal anti-discrimination laws, but obviously without much comment until this forum really started feeling its oats. Without honest-to-goodness asexuals to back it up, the whole idea probably read like a P.C. "inclusion" exercise, but it's real now.

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Live R Perfect

Yeah what you are saying makes complete sense to me, Chizadek. I would define my romantic-sexual orientation as hetero-asexual. I think we ought to clarify this sort of thing in the Information pages here.

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really started feeling its oats

Rofl.

Also, I've said we need to be more specific about definitions in several threads.

Idea thief :/

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