Omnisexuality
Sexual orientation attracted to all genders with gender having a factor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Omnisexuality is a sexual orientation where someone is attracted to all genders with gender having a factor in attraction. Although some may use it as a synonym for pansexuality, others see the two identities as distinct from one another.[1][2][3]
| Classification | Sexual identity |
|---|---|
| Parent category | Plurisexuality |
| Other terms | |
| Associated terms | |
| Flag | |
| |
| Flag name | Omnisexual flag |
| Creation | July 4, 2015 |
| Designer | Pastelmemer |
| Meaning | The shades of pink, blue, and the purple stripe symbolizes attraction to femininity and women, masculinity and men, all other genders, respectively. |
Flag
The omnisexual pride flag was designed by Tumblr user Pastelmemer[4] on July 4, 2015. The flag consists of five horizontal stripes. The colors represent the wide spectrum of sexual attraction, with the pink and blue shades symbolizing attraction to femininity and women, and masculinity and men, respectively. The dark purple stripe in the middle represents attraction to all other genders that are outside of the gender binary.[5][6]
Etymology and definition
The term "omnisexual" is derived from the Latin prefix omni-, meaning "all" or "universally", and sexuality.[1][6] Omnisexuality is romantic or sexual attraction to toward people of any sexual orientation or gender identity.[1] some may use omnisexuality and pansexuality as synonyms[7]. others people use as a different term meaning attraction to all genders without the gender blindness of pansexuality.[8][6][9][1] Quartz described omnisexuals as "actively attracted to all genders" rather being than "oblivious" to gender.[10] Pippa Lacey of Affinity Magazine said that while "most people" define both terms as meaning "attraction to all genders," that understanding is incorrect, and that pansexuality means "attraction to people regardless of gender," while omnisexual means "attraction to anyone despite their gender."[11]
Queerty also differed between polysexuality and omnisexuality, saying those who identity with the former are "attracted to multiple genders" while those who identify with the latter "experience attraction towards all genders," asserting that polysexuality is an "umbrella term that covers omnisexuality."[12]
To deal with issues related to transphobia and the gender binary, some individuals have taken on terms such as pansexual, omnisexual, or polysexual in place of the term bisexual, with the American Institute of Bisexuality asserting, in 2014, that these terms "describe a person with homosexual and heterosexual attractions, and therefore people with these labels are also bisexual".[13] In 2017, during Bisexual Awareness Week, GLAAD stated that some who are "attracted to people of any gender" identify with words such as omnisexual, and falls under the bisexual+ umbrella.[14] The Bi Women Quarterly uses the same term "bisexual+" for their publication, saying they feature "the voices of women with bi+ sexualities (i.e., bi, pan, fluid, and other non-binary sexualities)."[15]
Popular culture and media depictions
Some characters have appeared in fiction which have identified as omnisexual. Roger, one of the protagonists in American Dad!, is shown to have interest in both men and women and has been referred to as omnisexual.[16] Elim Garak, a character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, was described by his actor, Andrew J. Robinson, as omnisexual while others interpreted the character as gay or bisexual. Due to the scrutiny from viewers and writers not wanting to explore that aspect of the character, he removed this trait from the character in later portrayals.[17][18][19]
Charb's comic strip, Maurice et Patapon featured Maurice, a dog described by the newspaper Libération as leftist, pacifist, outgoing, and omnisexual, and a cat, Patapon, who is conservative, violent, asexual, and perverse.[20] In the series Hannibal, Hannibal Lecter is omnisexual, according to series creator Bryan Fuller,[21] and is in love with Will Graham.
The Harkness Test, which is set of informal criteria originating in Internet fan communities to determine whether it would be ethically permissible to engage in sexual intercourse with a fictional non-human character, is named after Captain Jack Harkness, a fictional character from the television series Doctor Who and the spin-off Torchwood, who is canonically omnisexual. With some saying that labels "pansexual" and "omnisexual" are applied to the character,[22] and writer Steven Moffat suggests that questions of sexual orientation do not even enter into Jack's mind,[23] John Barrowman, in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, asserted that Harkness was bisexual, but in the show's world he is called omnisexual because characters "also have sex with aliens who take human form, and sex with male-male, women-women, all sorts of combinations."[24] The term is also used once, in-universe, in the novel The House that Jack Built, when Ianto comments to a woman's remark about Jack, "He prefers the term 'omnisexual'."[25]
Some entertainers have identified as omnisexual. For instance, Kesha called herself omnisexual rather than pansexual,[3] musician Nesey Gallons describes herself as asexual and omnisexual,[26] and Little Richard once told Charles White, in 1984, he was omnisexual.[27] Singer Sophie B. Hawkins stated, in an interview with Howard Stern, that she identified as omnisexual, and denied rumors she had dated Martina Navratilova and Jodie Foster, saying, "I've never met any of the women I'm supposed to have had affairs with."[28] James Rado, the romantic partner of Gerome Ragni, an American actor, singer, and songwriter, best known as one of the stars and co-writers of the 1967 musical Hair,[29] told The Advocate in a 2008 interview that he was omnisexual.[30] In 2006, American actress, producer, director, and aerialist Dreya Weber told AfterEllen that she was omnisexual.[31]