Demisexuality is a type of sexual orientation or sexuality. In general, the term applies to people who only experience sexual attraction on occasion. More often, however, demisexuality refers to the sexual orientation whereby a person only feels sexual attraction when there exists a strong emotional bond.

What this emotional bond exactly means can vary from person to person: some demisexual people require authentic connections, other demisexuals feel sexual attraction only to people you could consider close friends. In other words, how a demisexual person experiences sexual attraction may depend on that person’s personality.

It is important to understand demisexuality only talks about a person’s sexual feelings and the specific circumstances under which a person feels sexual attraction.

Demisexuality does not say anything about gender preferences for romantic relationships, about who demisexuals may feel sexually attracted to, or about a person’s sexual activity in general.

A demisexual person can be gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or be questioning their sexuality in this regard.

Demisexuality also does not say anything about a person’s gender: people who identify as demisexual can be male, female, non-binary, agender, or of any other gender identity.

There are also no defining tertiary references to being demisexual, such as that person showing particular sexual behavior, as we will come to discuss later.