The Human Sexuality Spectrum is an continuum that accounts for every variation of human sexuality / identity without necessarily labelling or defining all of them. The spectrum provides the idea that sexuality/identity is loosely identifiable by specific means or measurements. The human sexuality spectrum contradicts sexuality binaries.
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Sexuality and gender roles have primarily been based on biological and anatomical basis. It is gender is generally legally based on the sex organs that the individual has, in most countries of the world if not all. Under the human sexuality spectrum system, sexuality and gender roles are found on the spectrum, the spectrum accounts for any minor variations that can be found in any given person. This system is found to be useful for many who do not like to be limited to a label. Many people find themselves deviating from a strict label. The pressure to place a label on a person’s sexual or gender preferences causes stress for the person who may not fit on one of societies provided labels.
It cannot be certain if people sit on one point of the spectrum their entire life or if they move over time. Research does suggest that sexuality can move along the spectrum at any given point in a person’s lifetime. The idea or hypothesis of sexual fluidity accounts for this.
Commonly Labeled Sexualities
Heterosexuality - The attraction of a person to only people of the opposite gender. This is commonly labelled as “straight”.
Bisexuality - The attraction of a person to two or more genders. Usually, but not necessarily, both female and male. Attraction to each gender is not necessarily always equal.
Homosexuality - The attraction of a person to only people of the same gender. There are different labels for males and females who identify with this term.
Gay - Males with an attraction to only the same gender. Also often used to generalize attraction of one gender to other people of the same gender.
Lesbian - Females with an attraction to only the same gender.
Queer - Umbrella term that fits all people who have non-heterosexual attractions.
Asexual - Someone who has very little to no sexual attraction towards any particular gender or group.
Aromantic - Someone who does not experience romantic love or attraction.
Pansexual - Someone who is attracted to people regardless of their gender, attraction to all genders. Can also be known as omnisexual.
Polysexual - Someone who is attracted to more than one gender and/or form of gender expression, but not all.
Demisexual - Someone who only feels sexually attracted to those who they have made a strong, emotional connection with.
Kinsey scale
A heterosexual to homosexual rating scale produced by Alfred Kinsey along with his colleagues Wardell Pomeroy and Clyde Martin in 1948. The scale was developed as part of a theory that people did not necessarily only fit in an extreme view of the heterosexual or homosexual sexuality binary. The scale ranges on a 0-6 scale from exclusively heterosexual (0) to exclusively homosexual (6) with five steps in between. The chart is a basic scale depicting sexuality solely based on male and female attractions.
The problem with the Kinsey scale is that it does not account for a lot of the sexualities that fall under the idea of queer nor does it account for gender identities. The scale is extremely linear with only a limited number of systematic steps and it only has two extremes. The scale is also based on a self-evaluation which is indefinite and subject to change over time. Because of this, Kinsley believed that we should develop a way to assign a position on the scale at each point in the person’s life. The human sexuality spectrum is more effective in how it depicts smoother transitions in between sexualities. The human sexuality spectrum can also include gender roles. The Kinsey scale has the human sexuality spectrum beat in how it provides a numerical scale for its users. The Kinsey scale provides measurable data which the human sexuality spectrum is not able to do.
Idea / theory of sexual fluidity
Sexuality lies on a spectrum but the theory of sexual fluidity allows for the idea of variation over time. Kinsley supported this by finding evidence in his research that people seem to find their sexuality can change over time. The idea of sexual fluidity is that sexuality does not necessarily stay in one place on the spectrum. It can vary over time depending on situations. Someone’s perceived sexuality may not always fit who the person ends up being attracted to. Sexuality can bend and flow and end up surprising a person. The idea of sexual fluidity is a theory though as there is no way to prove sexuality is fluid. What can be said is that there is research based evidence of people deviating from their perceived sexuality. This supports the idea of the human sexuality spectrum as it provides evidence that sexuality does not necessarily fit on an extreme but can be found at any point in between. It is impossible to prove whether the person’s sexuality changed or if their sexuality was different than they thought all along. This theory suggests that not all gay people are born gay.