Sexual attraction

**Sexual attraction** is a term which describes the feeling of being sexually drawn towards someone in particular, having sexual feelings sparked by a specific person, finding someone sexually appealing, or wanting to have sex with someone in particular. People who experience sexual attraction may identify as allosexual, while people who experience little to no sexual attraction may identify as asexual, ace-spec, or with similar labels.

Some people experience sexual attraction and nonsexual attraction differently; these people may identify as varioriented. Other people experience all forms of attraction, or their primary forms of attraction, in the same way; these people may identify as perioriented. Sexual attraction may or may not be experienced alongside romantic attraction and/or nonsexual attraction. The sexual attraction (or lack thereof) that a person experiences is typically the primary factor in one's sexual orientation.

## Distinction

### Physical attraction

**Physical attraction** is an umbrella term for forms of attraction which focus on physical aspects of a person, or the physical ways in which one wants to engage with that person. While sexual attraction is included under the physical attraction umbrella, not all forms of physical attraction are sexual. For example, one may experience sensual attraction, aesthetic attraction, or other potential forms of physical attraction, without it being necessarily sexual in nature.

### Nonromantic attraction

**Nonromantic attraction** is an umbrella term for any form of attraction which is not romantic. While sexual attraction is included under the nonromantic attraction umbrella, not all forms of nonromantic attraction are sexual. For example, one may experience any form of tertiary attraction, without it being necessarily sexual in nature.

### Sexual activity stance

**Sexual activity stance** is the personal stance a person takes on sexual activity and sexual relationships. This is also sometimes referred to as desire, though the term "desire" can also be interchangeable with "libido", which is not necessarily related to sexual activity stance. People may have a sexual activity stance often associated with sexual attraction, despite not experiencing that form of attraction. For example, one may be interested in sexual relationships, or have a general desire for sex, without experiencing sexual attraction to anyone in particular. The opposite can also be true; one may experience sexual attraction without wanting to be in a sexual relationship.

### Libido

**Libido** refers to a person's sex drive, or sexual desire. This can be affected by medical conditions, medications, hormone levels, or other biological, psychological, and environmental factors. A person can experience varying libido levels regardless of their sexual orientation and attraction they experience.

### Political sexual stance

**Political sexual stance** refers to the nonpersonal stance one takes on sexuality. This does not involve one's attraction, one's libido, or one's personal activity stance. For example, one can be asexual when it comes to attraction, sex-averse when it comes to their personal sexual activity stance, and sex-positive when it comes to their political sexual stance. This would mean that this person generally believes that openness about sexuality is important, and that people should be able to consensually explore their sexuality without shame, even though sex is of no personal importance to them.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Split Attraction Model (SAM) (English). The Trans Language Primer. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Asexual Spectrum. Asexual India.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sarran Webster, Emma. This New Color Scale Can Show You Where You Sexually Identify (English). Teen Vogue.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 perioriented and varioriented (17-02-2014).
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ferguson, Sian (01-07-2016). Here’s What It Means When Your Romantic and Sexual Orientations Are Different (English). everydayfeminism.
6. ↑ Romantic Orientations (English). The Asexual Visibility and Education Network. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021.
7. ↑ PFLAG National Glossary of Terms (English). PFLAG. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022.