12 Sexual Types

[Flexuality]

Alli-berri: Homoflexible? Absolutely. People who might consider themselves homoflexible are likely to score out on the test as queer or polyamorous. When I designed the test, I concentrated more on teasing out flexible potential in the 90% who consider themselves straight but really have bisexual potential. I wasn't trying to make the profiles absolutely symmetric along some gradient of sexuality. I assume that those who identify as gay have probably done so because their desires are strong enough and unilateral enough to stand up to social stigma.

AD: Interesting about China, and your point about other cultures (and other times) is correct. The idea that people are either gay or straight is only about a century old and not accepted around the world, though the concept (for better or worse) is catching on elsewhere. I find this most evident in South Asian, where rates of homosexual behavior among men is as high as 20-50%, depending on the study, but everyone gets married and almost none think of themselves as gay or bisexual in Western terms.

 

[innocentbychoice]

7. Metamorphic: You feel different from the gender of your birth, either in your life as a whole or only in the realm of sex. There are several different metamorphic types; also known as androgynous, cross-dresser, transgendered, transvestite, transvestic fetish, or transsexual.

I strongly disagree with this one for 2 reasons:

1. In a list of "sexual preferences", a category like Metamorphic just doesn't belong because it's a category that, as you put it, it's about gender identification and that has nothing to do with sexual preference.

2. You're putting together in the same category crossdressers, transvestites and transgendered/transsexual people. The first 2 are, by definition, people who dress as the opposite sex for fun, or as a fetish but they feel comfortable in their biological bodies; while the last 2 are people who really feel like they are part of the opposite sex, and they feel like they need to change their bodies to fit the way they feel and think.

 

[clicker]

Alli-berri: Homoflexible? Absolutely. People who might consider themselves homoflexible are likely to score out on the test as queer or polyamorous. When I designed the test, I concentrated more on teasing out flexible potential in the 90% who consider themselves straight but really have bisexual potential. I wasn't trying to make the profiles absolutely symmetric along some gradient of sexuality. I assume that those who identify as gay have probably done so because their desires are strong enough and unilateral enough to stand up to social stigma.

AD: Interesting about China, and your point about other cultures (and other times) is correct. The idea that people are either gay or straight is only about a century old and not accepted around the world, though the concept (for better or worse) is catching on elsewhere. I find this most evident in South Asian, where rates of homosexual behavior among men is as high as 20-50%, depending on the study, but everyone gets married and almost none think of themselves as gay or bisexual in Western terms.

"But everyone gets married and almost none think of themselves as gay or bisexual". Andthat's a good thing?!That's denial or delusion. that's not progress, but brainwashing, no?

 

[jasoncrew03]

I still haven't found a label that expresses me exactly.

 

[clicker]

I still haven't found a label that expresses me exactly.

yes you have: bisexual. The details come after, or else how would we define anything without labels in our day to day existence? Why all the complications for ?

 

[Flexuality]

Innocent: You're right, metamorphic lumps together three different types. I did that for expediency because the three groups still add up to a very small percentage in the general public, and I wanted an even dozen categories.

But I'm finding it's not so uncommon, at least among those who discovered my test from bisexual forums. Many score with metamorphic traits.

Also, it's not so simple to separate gender and sexual orientation, and the more we study transvestic fetish, for example, the more it looks like a type of transgender identity. I'll try to provide more details in a post on my blog eventually. But I realize that the official psychiatric bible, the DSM, which is due for a complete revision, treats these categories as entirely separate.

I think it would be much more practical to think of sexuality as a gender issue in general: in other words, whether you love/desire men or women or both, not whether you are oriented to the same or opposite sex. Subtle difference, but it would make the civil rights battle a lot simpler to think of it as sex discrimination (limiting who we can love) rather than gay discrimination (protecting those who are in a different category from the majority).

 

[presario1000]

You're right, it is a cop-out. denial is especially strong for men of a few generations ago. How can you be attracted to guys and not be bi/gay? How does that compute?

I just think sexuality is more than just physical attraction, its more of an identity.

 

[AsianDream]

AD: Interesting about China, and your point about other cultures (and other times) is correct. The idea that people are either gay or straight is only about a century old and not accepted around the world, though the concept (for better or worse) is catching on elsewhere. I find this most evident in South Asian, where rates of homosexual behavior among men is as high as 20-50%, depending on the study, but everyone gets married and almost none think of themselves as gay or bisexual in Western terms.

Yes - this sounds true - I know quite a few guys from S Asia - that are in Australia - who like sex with guys - but don't think of themselves as "gay".

There's also the "Age" thing - many Western gay guys seem to have a serious "youth" obsession - while many of us asian guys find experience and maturity more sexually attractive.

THis age thing isn't just older guys - a couple of weeks back i said to an Ossie STR8 guy that I thought Judi Dench was quite hot (she was M in a James Bond movie) - his reacion was "YUK YUK" wrinkled old lady.

So who you find sexually attractive seems to be very culturally determined as well

 

[clicker]

Innocent: You're right, metamorphic lumps together three different types. I did that for expediency because the three groups still add up to a very small percentage in the general public, and I wanted an even dozen categories.

But I'm finding it's not so uncommon, at least among those who discovered my test from bisexual forums. Many score with metamorphic traits.

Also, it's not so simple to separate gender and sexual orientation, and the more we study transvestic fetish, for example, the more it looks like a type of transgender identity. I'll try to provide more details in a post on my blog eventually. But I realize that the official psychiatric bible, the DSM, which is due for a complete revision, treats these categories as entirely separate.

I think it would be much more practical to think of sexuality as a gender issue in general: in other words, whether you love/desire men or women or both, not whether you are oriented to the same or opposite sex. Subtle difference, but it would make the civil rights battle a lot simpler to think of it as sex discrimination (limiting who we can love) rather than gay discrimination (protecting those who are in a different category from the majority).

But FLEXUALITY, are you not just playing semantics when you write" ...more practical to think of sexuality as a gender issue rather than who you're sexually oriented to"? That's the same thing! I don't see the subtle difference. The controversy is always whether someone desire/loves/lust their own sex .

 

[jasoncrew03]

yes you have: bisexual. The details come after, or else how would we define anything without labels in our day to day existence? Why all the complications for ?

My attraction to men is completely sexual. I thought bisexual was being completely attracted to both sexes?

 

[clicker]

My attraction to men is completely sexual. I thought bisexual was being completely attracted to both sexes?

Nope. Bisexuality is a sexual attraction to both sexes to varying degrees. Of course, for most bisexuals, the ratio wavers over time, as in sexual fluidity. I don't see fluidity as much in hetero or homosexuals.

 

[jasoncrew03]

^Oh. Well now I have a label

 

[Flexuality]

But FLEXUALITY, are you not just playing semantics when you write" ...more practical to think of sexuality as a gender issue rather than who you're sexually oriented to"? That's the same thing! I don't see the subtle difference. The controversy is always whether someone desire/loves/lust their own sex .

Hi Clicker: yes, it's semantic, but I think words make a difference in how we think. If sexual identity is defined by an attraction to "sameness" (homo) or "difference" (hetero), there is a much bigger gap to cover than if we talk about attraction to "men" and "women." Men and women, after all, have a lot in common that might be lovable or desirable to any given person. But our culture teaches people that the natural state is to be attracted only to the opposite sex, unless you're born in such a way that you're attracted only to the same sex (as if some genetic switch was accidentally flipped). We're discouraged from thinking how we might be attracted to each sex, perhaps to different degrees.

As I teach my medical students, they should ask their patients if they have sex with men, women, or both, not whether their patients are gay, straight, or bi. They get a lot more information that way.

 

[clicker]

Hi Clicker: yes, it's semantic, but I think words make a difference in how we think. If sexual identity is defined by an attraction to "sameness" (homo) or "difference" (hetero), there is a much bigger gap to cover than if we talk about attraction to "men" and "women." Men and women, after all, have a lot in common that might be lovable or desirable to any given person. But our culture teaches people that the natural state is to be attracted only to the opposite sex, unless you're born in such a way that you're attracted only to the same sex (as if some genetic switch was accidentally flipped). We're discouraged from thinking how we might be attracted to each sex, perhaps to different degrees.

As I teach my medical students, they should ask their patients if they have sex with men, women, or both, not whether their patients are gay, straight, or bi. They get a lot more information that way.

thanks,FLEX. Good post.

 

[New2This]

I'd guess I was a number 1 then!

 

[innocentbychoice]

Innocent: You're right, metamorphic lumps together three different types. I did that for expediency because the three groups still add up to a very small percentage in the general public, and I wanted an even dozen categories.

But I'm finding it's not so uncommon, at least among those who discovered my test from bisexual forums. Many score with metamorphic traits.

Also, it's not so simple to separate gender and sexual orientation, and the more we study transvestic fetish, for example, the more it looks like a type of transgender identity. I'll try to provide more details in a post on my blog eventually. But I realize that the official psychiatric bible, the DSM, which is due for a complete revision, treats these categories as entirely separate.

I think it would be much more practical to think of sexuality as a gender issue in general: in other words, whether you love/desire men or women or both, not whether you are oriented to the same or opposite sex. Subtle difference, but it would make the civil rights battle a lot simpler to think of it as sex discrimination (limiting who we can love) rather than gay discrimination (protecting those who are in a different category from the majority).

I don't know if it would be more practical. I've read so much about gender identity, gender dysphoria, transsexualism, etc., that in my head, it is very clear that gender identity and sexual orientation are completely different things.

Gender identity defines if you feel you are a woman or a man while sexual orientation defines who you are attracted to.

 

[cornholio]

I just read my score

43 & Queer

You are frustrated with the divide between gay and straight, and suspicious of divisions between male and female. You may consider yourself post-gay and beyond labels. You may also call yourself homoflexible, to reflect your gay preferences and openness to other relationships.

I really like the outcome and agree with that label! see what I just did?

anyways, I'm reminded of this topic where they had those four categories

1.) Sex
2.) Gender Role
3.) Gender Identity
4.) Sexual Orientation

Still not sure whether to agree with innocentbychoice on the division, as it is also done in the mentioned topic above, or with flexuality, because borders between gender and orientation might just be very fluent.

What if you 1. have a man's body, 2. are masculine, but 3. somehow identify more as a woman within - you just somehow feel like a woman with male character traits and body parts. And 4. you are attracted to women mainly. Because of your sex, you'd generally be considered straight. But because of your gender identification you could also be labeled as homosexual. Or maybe not homosexual, because your sex is that of a man. But what? homogenderaffine?
confusing stuff, yet surely relevant for some. On the other hand, I kind of agree with my labeling, do we really have to classify? It's definitely interesting, and some labeling surely must be there to do the research and learn more about human sexuality, but in the end what counts should just be the love between to grown ups, whatever their gender/sex/orientation label. One can dream..

 

[Flexuality]

Corn, glad you like your profile!

I agree, what is important is having the freedom to love/desire whomever you want. The labels have some utility, but nature cannot be carved neatly at the joints.

By the way, I've just posted the latest batch of scores. Hope no one was waiting too long while I was on vacation.

 

[innocentbychoice]

Still not sure whether to agree with innocentbychoice on the division, as it is also done in the mentioned topic above, or with flexuality, because borders between gender and orientation might just be very fluent.

What if you 1. have a man's body, 2. are masculine, but 3. somehow identify more as a woman within - you just somehow feel like a woman with male character traits and body parts. And 4. you are attracted to women mainly. Because of your sex, you'd generally be considered straight. But because of your gender identification you could also be labeled as homosexual. Or maybe not homosexual, because your sex is that of a man. But what? homogenderaffine?

Gender identity has nothing to do with how you look but how you feel and identify as.

So even if you look like the manliest man on Earth but inside you feel like a woman, then you're a transgendered female. And if, as a transgendered female you like women, then you're a transgendered lesbian . It's not that hard.

 

[cornholio]

Alright. So you'Re saying the criterion for labels like homosexuality exclusively is the gender identity, not your body parts. A person in a male body who is attracted to men is not homosexual if she identifies as a woman. I can agree, although the use of "sexual" in terms like "homosexual" appears misleading then, because in the end it's not the sex but the gender that counts, following your interpretation.

Sadly, whatever the terms, most people will never understand it. Also it is kind of sad, yet inevitable for discussion, that we feel the need to put attraction and love in boxes..

The labels have some utility, but nature cannot be carved neatly at the joints.

well said!