Omnisexuality is a multisexual sexual orientation where one is attracted to all gender identities, with gender being a contributing factor towards attraction. Some omnisexuals experience attraction to different traits in different genders, and some may have a gender preference.
Etymology[]
"Omni-" from Latin, meaning "all" or "every."
Differentiation[]
Omnisexuality is often confused with pansexuality. "Pan-" comes from Greek meaning "all" or "every." Pansexuality is the attraction to any and all genders without gender featuring in that attraction. This is what is meant when pansexuals are referred to as being "genderblind".
Omnisexuality is also often compared to bisexuality. Some bisexuals are attracted to all genders, however typically not all bisexuals are.
Some individuals may identify as both bisexual and omnisexual, while others may prefer one term over the other. The choice to use one identity over the other usually comes down to individual preference if they feel one provides a more accurate representation of their orientation, while others may prefer to use the broader term to describe themselves.
History and Literature[]
The word omnisexuality appears as early at the 1959 beat poet Lawrence Lipton's The Holy Barbarians, but the first time it was described in the context of the current definition was in a 1984 text titled simply Sexual Choices: An Introduction to Human Sexuality. This text described omnisexuality as "a state of attraction to all sexes", stating that some researchers believe that every individual is born omnisexual before developing their sexual attraction into the labels of homosexual, heterosexual, or other orientations.
The term spread even further in the early 1990s as M. Jimmie Killingsworth undertook an analysis of the poet Walt Whitman. In Killingsworth's study, he found that Whitman had a general omnisexual character throughout his work The Leaves of Grass. In the 2010s, The Atlantic noted that his poetry expresses sexuality towards all genders, sometimes even the sea or the Earth.
Omnisexual was a common message board term in the 2000s. The knowledge of this term was boosted even further when several celebrities, such as Janelle Monáe and Brendon Urie, came out as pansexual. The media made several non-monosexual terms known in the mainstream as that took place. Many popular articles discussed omnisexuality alongside these celebrities' pansexuality.
Omnisexuality in the Media[]
Fictional characters Jack Harkness from Doctor Who/Torchwood and Elim Garak from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine have been confirmed as omnisexual.
Omnisexuality is also referenced in the television show Big Mouth, and Deadpool from the Marvel Comics has a fluid sexuality due to fluctuating brain cells allowing him to potentially identify as omnisexual as well as any other identity.
The Omnisexual Flag[]
The omnisexual flag was designed by Pastelmemer around July 4, 2015. Although the meaning of the colors is unconfirmed a commonly understood meaning is as follows: The light pink and light blue represents the gender spectrum. Pink represents attraction to femininity and women. Blue color represents attraction to masculinity and men. The deep purple centre represents attraction to individuals whose gender identity falls outside of the named categories.
An alternate flag with a black centre and deeper colors was made by FANDOM user TheNelsonSystem on July 22, 2021. It was made by an alter with tritanopia colour blindness as an exact/near-exact version of how they see the omnisexual flag.
Days of Recognition[]
The following days of the year officially recognize Omnisexual and Omniromantic folks.
March 21st: Omnisexual awareness Day.
June 6th: Omnisexual and Omniromantic Pride and Visibility Day.
Polysexuality and Abrosexuality, are also on the Multisexual Spectrum.