I'm abrosexual - but friends asked if it's even real when I came out
A 32-year-old woman has spoken out about the negative reactions she faced from her circle of friends when she came out as abrosexual, a term many of her friends dismissed as fake. Emma Flint recounted the hurtful comments she received upon sharing her sexuality, leading to a parting of ways with those she used to call friends.
Now, Emma embraces her identity without the anxiety that once accompanied her feelings. Abrosexuality is characterised by a fluidity in sexual attraction, it may mean that you're attracted towards men and at other times towards women or even no-one at all. Emma, who only discovered the term at the age of 30, now feels validated in her experiences.
Despite its growing discussion among Gen Z on platforms like TikTok, abrosexuality remains widely misunderstood, with many unaware of its meaning. Emma shared with Metro the sceptical responses she encountered, including remarks such as "When did you decide this? Is this even a label I've never heard of it. I support you, obviously, but this doesn't sound real."
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Emma, now 32, reflects on how limited the understanding of sexual identities was during her youth in the nineties, where anything beyond heterosexual, homosexual, or lesbian was often disregarded as "made up", reports the Mirror. Revealing her struggle to identify her fluctuating sexuality, she said: "Of course, we know that's far from the truth - but societal blindspots mean we learn terms much slower than if they're readily accessible."
Emma confessed that she often "scoffed" and berated herself for her uncertainty as her identity "shifted". Some days she identified as a lesbian, while other days she felt more aligned with bisexuality, leading her to realise her sexuality was "fluid".
She also shared how friends would question her changing sexual preferences, expressing their confusion. At the time, she couldn't explain why she no longer identified as a lesbian or why she now considered herself bisexual. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter
It was only when she encountered the term 'abrosexual', used by Zoe Stoller, a US-based creator and LGBTQ+ advocate, that she first understood the term. Describing it as a "lightbulb" moment, Emma recalled how Zoe explained to her 74,000 followers that abrosexuality is 'fluid' and differs from pansexuality - where attraction is based on personality rather than specific gender.
Emma clarified that this doesn't "alter" any romantic relationships, stating that she loves the person, not the gender. Although, she added: "However, even after explaining this, there are always some people who enjoy demanding that I 'pick a lane' so that my identity doesn't offend them." Emma is hoping that the term 'abrosexual' will become widely accepted as "just another identity", rather than a passing trend, as some have suggested.