Androsexual

Androsexuality: the basics

The terms androsexuality and androsexual have several possible meanings:

• Sexual attraction towards cisgender men;
• Sexual attraction towards individuals with a masculine gender expression/presentation, regardless of their gender;
• Sexual attraction towards masculinity/male anatomy, regardless of the gender of that person.

Some people wrongly think that androsexual is the same as homosexual or gay. It is the biggest misconception about androsexuality.

Homosexuals are cisgender men who can only be attracted to cisgender men, while androsexuality moves beyond the binary. Androsexual individuals can be attracted to cisgender men, masculine-presenting women, transgender men, or people of any other gender who have a masculine gender expression.

Of course, in some cases, androsexual people are binary homosexuals. But transgender or cisgender gay men, non-binary, genderfluid people, cisgender women, or individuals of any other gender who are attracted to cisgender men or masculine-presenting people belonging to any gender (including women who exhibit more masculine traits and trans men) can be androsexuals too. So an androsexual might be a binary homosexual, but not necessarily.

There are many sexual orientations that are similar to androsexual:

• Masexual - a term used to describe the attraction exclusively to men;
• Mascic - a term that describes the attraction to men or masculine-aligned people;
• Viramoric - a term for a genderqueer and/or non-binary person attracted exclusively to men;
• Uranic - a sexual orientation where an individual can be attracted to men, masculine non-binary people, and/or neutral non-binary aligned people.

The words androsexuality and androsexual derive from Greek andros ("man") + Latin sexualis ("sexual"). The terms were, most likely, were coined by a non-binary individual.

However, some non-binary people prefer terms like masexual, mascic, minsexual when they want to be more specific about their sexual orientation because the word androsexual has more than one definition. Besides, the term androsexual is commonly used by transphobic people to exclude transgender men from this sexual orientation. They explain it by saying that androsexuals are only attracted to "real male anatomy".

There is a synonym for androsexuality that is occasionally used - androphilia; however, many people consider this term outdated.

Androsexual pride flag

There are several versions of the androsexual pride flag.

The most popular one consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width. The date of its creation is unknown. The colors of the flag stripes, from top to bottom, are the following: sky blue, dark maroon, violet.

Importance of coming out

Coming out is the process of revealing your sexual orientation to family, coworkers, friends. If you realized you are an androsexual, it is totally up to you if to tell others or not. You and only you decide if and when to come out. But you should know that according to recent research, LGBTQIA+ people who came out of the closet have much lower stress hormone levels and much fewer symptoms of burnout, anxiety, depression.

This, obviously, is only the case in tolerant and inclusive societies where it is safe for people to disclose their sexual orientations. It can be an amazing relief to have talked about your sexual identity to people in your life and to be able to live honestly and authentically because you, just like all of us, deserve the best.

If you're planning on telling others that you are an androsexual, here are some tips that might help you make your coming out more successful:

• Avoid coming out during an argument or when you are upset;
• If you think you might feel anxious to tell people in person, send them an email, a text, or a written letter;
• Let go of expectations - realize that, most likely, there will be individuals who might not react the way you would like them to;
• If you need assistance with planning how to come out or any other kind of help, you can join a local LGBTQIA+ support group, speak to an androsexual-affirming therapist, or call an anonymous LGBTQIA+ hotline.

How to help your friends and loved ones understand androsexuality

Friends, family, and partners of many people who come out as androsexuals accept them for what they are. As soon as these androsexual individuals disclose their sexual orientation, their loved ones start supporting them.

However, some other family members and friends find it difficult to accept this truth. Some people, especially elders, may need time to get used to the news. It is the androsexual person’s task to explain to them the basics of this sexual orientation and give them a list of links to information that friends and family can read quickly and easily.

If they are willing to learn more, there are also books about androsexuality that can be recommended to such people.

Because constant learning is crucial in the expanding world of sexual orientations.