Glossary

 

Please note that this glossary is intended to be descriptive, not prescriptive. It only covers a limited segment and does not reflect all possible usages of the listed terms.

 

Ace: An abbreviation for asexual.

 

Acephobia: Discrimination or prejudice against people within the asexual spectrum. 

 

Aesthetic attraction: Appreciating the appearance of an individual. Aesthetic attraction is not

 necessarily linked to romantic or sexual interest.

 

Alloromantic: A term describing people who experience romantic attraction towards others.

 

Amatonormativity: The cultural force that treats romantic relationships as intrinsically superior

than other human relations.

 

Antiromantic: Ideologically opposed to romanticism.

 

Antisexual: Ideologically opposed to sex.

 

Aro: An abbreviation for aromantic.

 

Aromanticism: A term describing people who don't experience romantic attraction to others.

 

Asexuality: A term describing people who don't experience sexual attraction to others.

 

Celibacy: The lifestyle choice to not participate in sex, regardless of one's sexual orientation.

 

Erasure: A lack of visibility of a group in media and culture affecting all members of a

 marginalized sexual or romantic orientation.

 

Heteronormativity: The cultural force that expects all people to be heteroromantic and hetero-

sexual.

 

Platonic attraction: The desire for friendship or other non-romantic relationships with another

person.

 

Romantic attraction: The set of feelings that causes people to desire a romantic relationship with

  a specific other person.

 

Romantic orientation: Referring to the group of people/genders a person can become romantical-

    ly attracted to.

 

Sexual orientation: Referring to the group of people/genders a person can become sexually attrac-

ted to.