Asexual: A sexual orientation defined as experiencing little to no sexual attraction. Asexuality is an umbrella term or a spectrum, meaning it encompasses a diverse array of identities. Asexual people — also known as ‘ace’ or ‘aces’ — may want to and can form many types of intimate relationships, such as romantic, platonic, and other forms of connection. Asexuality can also describe people who are disconnected from normative societal expectations of sex.  

Asexual spectrum: Refers to the spectrum or continuum of asexual experiences. Asexual people can experience attraction anywhere between asexual and allosexual experiences, and still identify with asexuality. 

Aroace: An abbreviation of aromantic and asexual, a term used by people who are both aromantic and asexual. 

Aromantic: An orientation defined as experiencing little to no romantic attraction, also known as ‘aro.’ Aromantic is an umbrella term or spectrum, encompassing a diverse array of identities. Aromantics can be asexual or allosexual and may form many types of intimate connections. Aromantic can also describe people whose experience of romantic attraction is disconnected or differs from the normative societal expectations. 

Allosexuals: Describes a person who experiences sexual attraction or is not on the asexual spectrum.

Attraction: A broad spectrum of feelings of interest or liking towards someone. 

Biromantic: Someone who is romantically attracted to all genders, whilst having no sexual attraction towards them. 

Compulsory sexuality: This is the societal belief that sexuality is something everyone is obliged to participate in: that everyone has a sexuality and is sexual. It is the normalisation that having sex and seeking out sex is a requirement to be ‘healthy’ and ‘normal.’ Asexuality pushes back against this assertion by taking pride in non-standard relationships towards sex and attraction. Compulsory sexuality creates shame for people whose desire does not align with society’s assertion of what is ‘healthy’ and ‘normal.’ This is not limited to asexual people, since sex and sexuality are enforced on everyone. For example, compulsory sexuality can cause people to feel they are not having ‘enough’ sex or ‘too much’ sex, not having sex ‘early’ enough or ‘late’ enough, etc. 

Demisexual: A person who only experiences sexual attraction after developing an emotional connection with that person. 

Greysexual / Grey-asexual / Grey-A: Someone who experiences sexual attraction to a minor degree, falling somewhere between ‘asexual’ and ‘allosexual.’

Split-attraction model: a framework that separates different forms of attraction, such as romantic, sexual, platonic, emotional, etc. This model can be used by anyone, regardless of whether they experience romantic and/or sexual attraction. It allows some people who feel romantic attraction but not sexual attraction, or sexual attraction but no romantic attraction, to understand and be valid in their identity. 

Varioriented / Mixed orientation identity: This can be any combination of sexual orientation and romantic orientation that does not ‘match up’ in society’s normative understanding, or they do not share the same gender preference. For example, a biromantic heterosexual: a person romantically attracted to all genders, whilst only being sexually attracted to someone of a different gender.