Ceterosexual (also known as Allotroposexual, Enbysexual, or Idemosexual), previously known as Skoliosexual, is an orientation referring to someone who is exclusively attracted to non-binary and genderqueer people. Previous definitions also included binary transgender people, however this has been considered problematic for many.
Similar attractions include enbian, terraric, galaxsexual, triasexual, and neusexual. Labels like lesbian and gay can also include non-binary people in their attractions.
History and Controversy
Skoliosexual
Skoliosexual is alternate/outdated term coined in 2010 by a DeviantArt user, Nelde, who attempted to make a comprehensive diagram of sexual attraction.[2] Nelde claims to use "skolio" as it is the Greek word for queer. However, the name was highly controversial due to "skolio-" translating to "crooked" or "bent". Additionally, in many of the first definitions of skoliosexual it was defined either as the attraction to "non-binary and transgender people" or the attraction to "non-cisgender people", which othered and fetishized transgender people, treating trans men and trans women as if they were not actually men/women.
Alternatives and Usage
Ceterosexual was made as a replacement term, due to the name. Additionally, ceterosexual and other alternate term only included non-binary people, not including binary trans people. While ceterosexual is a new term, it uses the same flags that skoliosexual used.
The creator of the term ceterosexual is unknown. Unlike skoilosexual, ceterosexual seems to have been created with the intent that only non-binary and genderqueer should call themselves ceterosexual, and many non-binary people who use the term agree with this. Additionally, others believe the term should not be used at all due it encouraging the fetishization of transgender and non-binary people. On the contrary, others feel that the term should be available for anyone, because just as one cannot tell who is non-binary by looks alone, one also cannot tell who is a man or a woman by first glance either.
There as also been a small group of people who use other alternatives to skoliosexual. Some such alternatives are enbysexual[3], idemosexual[4], and allotroposexual[5]. Like with ceterosexual, enbysexual and idemosexual were created with the intent that only non-binary people use them. However, allotroposexual was created with the intent to be used by anyone.
Flag
The first skoliosexual/ceterosexual flag was created on October 14, 2013 by DeviantArt user SavvyRed[6]. Yellow represents being non-binary or being attracted to non-binary people. Green represents bigender, third gender, genderqueer, or other genders. White and black represents neutral genders, genderlessness, agender, and people questioning their gender identity. The lavender heart represents love outside the gender norms. Most alternate flags are based on this flag.
Etymology
The prefix cetero- means "other".
Resources
- ↑ https://www.tumblr.com/blog_auth/potionflags
- ↑ https://www.deviantart.com/nelde/art/Sexual-Attraction-v2-180255547
- ↑ https://nonbinaryresource.tumblr.com/post/132552134476/is-there-a-word-for-only-being-attracted-to
- ↑ https://variant-archive.tumblr.com/post/185736763882/a-quick-suggestion-for-my-fellow-enbys-who-love
- ↑ https://genderqueerid.com/post/16339992032/skoliosexual-adj
- ↑ https://www.deviantart.com/savvyred/art/Proposed-Skoliosexual-Flag-407351410