Spectrasexual

Part of: Multisexual / M-spec

Sexual and/or romantic attraction to multiple or varied genders - framed as attraction across a spectrum of genders and sexes, including non-binary and intersex people.

Definition

Sexual and/or romantic attraction to multiple or varied genders - but specifically framed as attraction across a spectrum of genders and sexes, including non-binary people and intersex people. Sometimes used to describe attraction that is broad but not fully pansexual (not necessarily gender-blind).

Flag

Spectrasexual flag

Five horizontal stripes.

Colour codes: Spectrasexual flag
Stripe	HEX	RGB	CMYK	Pantone	Meaning
Black	`#000000`	0,0,0	C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:100	n/a	Asexual spectrum attraction
Dark grey	`#646464`	100,100,100	C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:61	n/a	Variable attraction across the spectrum
Grey	`#999999`	153,153,153	C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:40	n/a	Fluid attraction
White	`#FFFFFF`	255,255,255	C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:0	n/a	All gender identities
Green	`#009B55`	0,155,85	C:100 M:0 Y:45 K:39	n/a	Non-binary and gender-expansive attraction

Full flag history →

Etymology

Latin spectrum (range, appearance) + sexual. Coined in online LGBTQIA+ communities in the 2010s.

History

Emerged from Tumblr and online plurisexual community spaces in the early 2010s as part of the proliferation of M-spec (multi-gender-attracted) identity vocabulary. Placed within the M-spec/plurisexual family alongside bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, and polysexual.

Spectrasexual circulated on Tumblr and adjacent plurisexual community blogs in the mid 2010s. No single coining post has been reliably identified, and no source beyond general LGBTQIA+ glossaries documents where it came from.

Common myths

"Spectrasexual is just bisexual." Spectrasexual specifically frames attraction as crossing a spectrum of genders and sexes - including intersex people and all non-binary genders.
"All these M-spec terms are unnecessary." Different M-spec labels capture meaningfully different relationships to gender in attraction.