Monosexual - meaning and definition
Alsomonosexuality
Definition
Describes people who are attracted to only one gender, such as most straight, gay and lesbian people.
At a glance
- Means being attracted to only one gender.
- Includes most straight, gay and lesbian people.
- The contrasting term is plurisexual or multisexual.
- Monosexism is linked to biphobia and bi-erasure.
In detail
The word is used mainly in discussions of bisexual and pansexual experience, to name the group that is attracted to one gender only. The contrasting term for people attracted to more than one gender is plurisexual or multisexual.
Monosexism, the assumption that everyone is or should be attracted to only one gender, is one of the roots of biphobia and bi-erasure.
In a sentence
- The workshop talked about how monosexual assumptions make bi people feel invisible.
- Not everyone is monosexual, and that is fine.
Common questions
What is monosexism?
The belief that people can only be attracted to one gender, or that this is more valid. It underlies stereotypes such as bisexuality being "a phase".