Just curious...

[Fluffy]

Are there any other recognised sexualities other than homosexuality, bisexuality and heterosexuality? Is there a term, for example, which defines someone who is totally impartial to gender (ie is not attracted or attracted to either) but is only attracted to personality. Also, what exactly is the difference between a sexuality and a sexual fetish? Is the former just a type of the latter but to do with a specific area ie gender?

It's difficult to find this type of information on the internet because of the wealth of pro gay/anti gay sites that pop up whenever you type in anything even related to sexuality so any information or suggestions of what I could search for to find information would be incredibly useful.

 

[michel]

quote[Are there any other recognised sexualities other than homosexuality, bisexuality and heterosexuality? Is there a term, for example, which defines someone who is totally impartial to gender (ie is not attracted or attracted to either) but is only attracted to personality. Also, what exactly is the difference between a sexuality and a sexual fetish? Is the former just a type of the latter but to do with a specific area ie gender?]

Hi fluffy
you've missed out assexuality which I think is your missing link; I think that the difference between Sexuality and a sexual fetish is that Sexuality is part of the 'Grand design', but sexual fetish is more of an obsessive trait

 

[Fluffy]

I know very little about asexuality but I think it requires some research on my part. Thanks for reminding me . I can understand what you are saying, michel, but if you define sexual fetish as a particular quality of which somebody finds sexually attracting then surely I would not be wrong in saying that finding only women attractive would be a sexual fetish? I do consider terms such as lesbian to fall into the category of a sexual fetish since this implies something about the holder of the quality (that she is a women) whereas other fetishes do not. I was just wondering if the division between the 2 was an artificial human seperation or whether there was more to it.

 

[Mister Emu]

A sexual fetish is a form of sex that one has an extreme interest in, sexuality is one's preference of gender.

from dictionary.com on fetish

Something, such as a material object or a nonsexual part of the body, that arouses sexual desire and may become necessary for sexual gratification.

an object or bodily part whose real or fantasized presence is psychologically necessary for sexual gratification and that is an object of fixation to the extent that it may interfere with complete sexual expression

 

[michel]

I know very little about asexuality but I think it requires some research on my part. Thanks for reminding me . I can understand what you are saying, michel, but if you define sexual fetish as a particular quality of which somebody finds sexually attracting then surely I would not be wrong in saying that finding only women attractive would be a sexual fetish? I do consider terms such as lesbian to fall into the category of a sexual fetish since this implies something about the holder of the quality (that she is a women) whereas other fetishes do not. I was just wondering if the division between the 2 was an artificial human seperation or whether there was more to it.

hi fluffy,

I may well be wrong, and if I am please put me right. Isn't fetishism more of a sexual focus on an object rather than a person, and that that is what distinguishes it from other forms of sexual orientation such as Lesbians, Gays, etc; in that context, there is LOVE playing a large part in the relationship?

 

[Fluffy]

A sexual fetish is a form of sex that one has an extreme interest in, sexuality is one's preference of gender.

from dictionary.com on fetish

Quote:

Something, such as a material object or a nonsexual part of the body, that arouses sexual desire and may become necessary for sexual gratification.

Quote:
an object or bodily part whose real or fantasized presence is psychologically necessary for sexual gratification and that is an object of fixation to the extent that it may interfere with complete sexual expression

I don't know if I agree with your definition of sexual fetish (ie as just a form of sex) but I can clearly see the difference now between the 2. Thankyou for clearing this one up for me .

hi fluffy,

I may well be wrong, and if I am please put me right. Isn't fetishism more of a sexual focus on an object rather than a person, and that that is what distinguishes it from other forms of sexual orientation such as Lesbians, Gays, etc; in that context, there is LOVE playing a large part in the relationship?

Well I am not gay so I can't answer the question from a homosexual point of view. However, I see no basic difference between this and the other sexualities so I will answer from a heterosexual point of view. I can easily be turned on by a member of the opposite sex and yet I might not feel any love for that person at all. I don't see why this would be any different for someone who was gay.

Additionally, fetishism is generally about objects yes. However, this could easily change depending on how you look at it. For instance Im sure many people would agree that bestiality is a fetish but this certainly has nothing to do with objects. Furthermore, some people might get a kick out of dominating or being dominated, something else which is defined as a fetish. Therefore, I generally think of fetishs in relation to qualities rather than objects which is where I think my original confusion stemmed from

 

[Mister Emu]

I don't know if I agree with your definition of sexual fetish (ie as just a form of sex)

I agree it was not the best definition.

Thankyou for clearing this one up for me

You are welcome.

Is there a term, for example, which defines someone who is totally impartial to gender (ie is not attracted or attracted to either) but is only attracted to personality

Oh and yes there is a term, Bisexual(though one may have more or less of a preference this would generaly be the term I believe).

 

[Fluffy]

Oh and yes there is a term, Bisexual(though one may have more or less of a preference this would generaly be the term I believe).

I suppose so. I always thought bisexuality inferred an attraction to people of both gender and was therefore like a combination of homosexuality and heterosexuality. But I suppose it doesn't necessarily have to be since it could also imply a total lack of attraction based on gender.

Is it just me or is sexuality such a confusing topic to talk about ?

 

[michel]

Quote [Therefore, I generally think of fetishs in relation to qualities rather than objects which is where I think my original confusion stemmed from]


Hi again Fluffy,

I accept your point about bestiality etc...up to a point (and I'm not gay either) I have always imagined (Oh how presumptuous!) that sex is the physical demonstration of Love between two people, perhaps with the ultimate intention of procreation at the right time. That is how I see it, anyway; perhaps that is why I cannot see the 'bestiality' angle nor the concentration on 'objects' as pertaining to love, and therefore I stick by my original thaughts because they work FOR ME. The whole point of a debate is to exchange Ideas with others, whose views might well be contrary to your own, so that you may offer the other person a different frame of reference from which to view the subject; there is no 'win' or 'loose' in a debate, just the creation of the ability of both debaters to appreciate each other's points of view.

 

[Mister Emu]

I always thought bisexuality inferred an attraction to people of both gender and was therefore like a combination of homosexuality and heterosexuality

Well it seems to me if you are attracted to both it would mean you are not discriminatory towards either, which is what I thought you were asking about.

 

[Fluffy]

The whole point of a debate is to exchange Ideas with others, whose views might well be contrary to your own, so that you may offer the other person a different frame of reference from which to view the subject; there is no 'win' or 'loose' in a debate, just the creation of the ability of both debaters to appreciate each other's points of view.

Agreed totally. I just feel it can get a little bit rough around the edges sometimes, especially when there is not really one accepted definition on certain words which are at the heart of controversial issues. I bet if we started a debate on asexuality, for example, we would get every single poster replying with a different definition of asexuality which just leads to misunderstanding and confusion.

However, your description is of what I like to think of as the "ideal debate" and is why I enjoy them so much .

Well it seems to me if you are attracted to both it would mean you are not discriminatory towards either, which is what I thought you were asking about.

Kinda... its really difficult to explain though. I suppose its what Im trying to say that bisexuality implies an ACTIVE attraction to people of both genders. By that I would mean that they would wish to engage in a relationship with someone because they were female/male. In this sense it is lkike a mix of homosexuality and heterosexuality. If I were bisexual and I was going out with another guy, saying that the fact that he was a guy did not turn me on would not really fit into the description of bisexual.

What I was wondering is whether there was some sort of differentiation for those people who are totally immune, if you like, to gender. It's passively connected to gender since the gender of the person is independent of my attraction to them.

 

[michel]

Quote (Word IQ.com) [

Asexuality is a designation or self-designation for people who claim that they are not sexually attracted to anyone. This may be viewed as a form of sexual orientation in itself. It can also be viewed as a gender identification. There has been little research done on asexuality, but it appears to be the least common occurring sexual orientation. The Kinsey Institute recently conducted a survey on it.

There is disagreement over whether or not asexuality is a legitimate orientation. Many claim that it is impossible or a sexual dysfunction. Others attribute it to things such as sexual abuse, repressed homosexuality, or a lack of proper hormones.]

Hi fluffy, I promise this is my last post, but I really did think the above might help you.