From continua to kaleidoscopes: How plurisexuality challenges traditional conceptualizations of sexual orientation

Abstract

Traditional measures of sexual orientation (e.g., the Kinsey Scale, the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, single-item sexual identity questions) focus on a person’s behaviour, identity, and attraction yet are described by plurisexual, asexual, and gender-diverse individuals as inadequate in capturing the complexity of how they experience and understand their sexuality. This study explores how plurisexual and asexual individuals make sense of their sexual orientation. Across several studies, participants (n = 2,306) completed demographic questionnaires related to their gender and sexual identity while also responding to the Kinsey Scale. Additionally, participants wrote open-ended responses explaining why they had selected a particular sexual identity or Kinsey score earlier in the survey. The authors used an abductive reflective thematic analysis to review these open-ended responses, focusing on whether responses aligned with a dominant model of sexual orientation (i.e., behaviour-identity-attraction). While many participants described their choice of sexual identity label and Kinsey score using at least one aspect of the behaviour-identity-attraction trichotomy, not all responses fit within this model. For example, participants emphasized their attraction to individual characteristics other than gender/sex, distinguished between romantic and sexual attraction, and discussed plurisexuality and experiences of sexual fluidity. Traditional measures of sexual orientation may not be adequate when working with sexually diverse samples. Researchers should consider how best to conceptualize sexual orientation and other related constructs, including emotional/romantic attraction, sexual fluidity, and the role of gender expression in processes of attraction and identity construction.