Anonymous #2 17h

“bi-“ prefix means two, so bisexual means only attracted to cis men & cis women. “omni-“ prefix means all or universal (think omnivore), meaning i’m attracted to more than just cis men & cis women, but also trans women and others outside of the gender binary (bi- prefix again!). Pansexuals don’t consider someone’s gender identity when seeking a partner (so basically all encompassing), but Omnisexual does. Hope it helped! Definitely recommend looking it up tho. idk how well i did.

1

Anonymous OP 17h

Since I’m not active in this community, when did the separation between cis and trans people become a thing? For example, aren’t trans women are just women?

1

Anonymous #2 17h

they are the same thing categorically, yes! however, cis- and trans- prefixes have existed in science for a long time, including organic chemistry naming. it’s just descriptive identity within the subcategory, kinda like how the category of “tall women” includes a height descriptive but they are still a subcategory of woman, just a certain type.

1

Anonymous OP 17h

Ok I guess why I’m confused then is why do you need a whole new sexuality to specify your type? I feel like you might as well be saying you’re latinasexual

11

Anonymous #2 17h

Well it’s not a “whole new sexuality” but just a specific sexual identity. When I say bisexual, it indicates a binary of genders. When I say omnisexual, it indicates i’m attracted to more than just the binary. That’s like saying “I like grapes” when most people think of green and purple, but I could specify saying “I like wild river grapes and autumn crisp grapes” to indicate that i like grapes outside of the general binary options of green & purple (or are they “red” idk bc i don’t like them)

1

Anonymous OP 16h

But couldn't you just say exactly that… I like all grapes, not just the typical green and purple ones. We don't have a word for it, we just explain it. Also sorry if I'm sounding critical I'm just trying to understand

1

Anonymous #2 16h

Yeah the grape analogy wasn’t the greatest. Think of it this way — I am a white woman. It doesn’t matter that I’m white bc I’m still a woman no matter the preceding descriptor, but it’s still a useful identifier in many scenarios. I can talk about women no problem, but sometimes we NEED to talk about the specifics when the discussion calls for it. I’m not out here telling everyone I’m omni, but it can be important in LGBTQIA+ communities to make that distinction and that’s okay.

1