Polysexuality
Encyclopedia
Polysexuality is the attraction to more than one gender
or sex
. It should not be confused with polyamory
, the ability to be romantically involved with more than one person at once.
; pan meaning all, and poly meaning many, though not necessarily all. Polysexuality is a self-identifying term that is somewhat amorphous, as there is a wide variety of different people who use the term to describe themselves. It should be noted that polysexuality holds some exploration in itself of gender identity
and people who identify outside the binarist gender spectrum. People who refer to themselves as polysexual may be attracted to transgender
people, third gender
people, two-spirit
people, or all of the above, plus anyone who is genderqueer
.
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
or sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
. It should not be confused with polyamory
Polyamory
Polyamory is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved....
, the ability to be romantically involved with more than one person at once.
Gender definition
When referring to sexual attraction to multiple genders, polysexuality should not be confused with pansexualityPansexuality
Pansexuality refers to the potential for sexual attractions, sexual desire, romantic love, or emotional attraction, towards people of all gender identities and biological sexes...
; pan meaning all, and poly meaning many, though not necessarily all. Polysexuality is a self-identifying term that is somewhat amorphous, as there is a wide variety of different people who use the term to describe themselves. It should be noted that polysexuality holds some exploration in itself of gender identity
Gender identity
A gender identity is the way in which an individual self-identifies with a gender category, for example, as being either a man or a woman, or in some cases being neither, which can be distinct from biological sex. Basic gender identity is usually formed by age three and is extremely difficult to...
and people who identify outside the binarist gender spectrum. People who refer to themselves as polysexual may be attracted to transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people, third gender
Third gender
The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are categorized as neither man nor woman, as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize three or more genders...
people, two-spirit
Two-Spirit
Two-Spirit People , is an English term that emerged in 1990 out of the third annual inter-tribal Native American/First Nations gay/lesbian American conference in Winnipeg. It describes Indigenous North Americans who fulfill one of many mixed gender roles found traditionally among many Native...
people, or all of the above, plus anyone who is genderqueer
Genderqueer
Genderqueer is a catch-all term for gender identities other than man and woman, thus outside of the gender binary and heteronormativity...
.