And graysexual was new to me. From the Urban Dictionary I got: “Whereas sexual orientation exists along a continuum of heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual, sex drive also exists along a continuum. Some people (highly sexual) desire to have sex with anyone they can; some people (strictly asexual) have no sexual desires; graysexuals are predominantly asexual but capable of manifesting sexual desires under specific circumstances. This is not to be confused with an asexual that is satisfying a partner’s sexual desires despite lacking sexual desire of their own.” I am ever impressed by our ability to come up with new ways of nailing down the details. Thanks for that one!

I agree a meaningful taxonomy for the human condition would be brilliant, but I think our efforts to organize human life into strictly defined categories is an ongoing effort that never reaches a satisfying conclusion. See the ongoing work around the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for an example of how hard, and ultimately unsatisfying, that project is.

In the end I think human life defies strict categorization, and I for one celebrate that we are so joyful, abundant, digressive, and defiant that we defy easy categorization! Or at least I know I do. ;)

Actually, we no longer use the term hermaphrodites to describe intersexed individuals or those with ambiguous genitalia. Hermaphrodites are organisms such as the earth worm that have full male and female reproductive systems. Humans are incapable of being born with full reproductive systems so in essence the term does not apply.

“•2S: Two-spirit. The visionaries and healers of aboriginal communities, the gay and lesbian shamans. ” 2spirit is a broad term and can also have different meanings. Basically, it means someone who is genderfluid or genderqueer; someone that does not fit into the binary boxes of male and female from a First Nation perspective.

The more I read and re-read the acronym, the sillier it becomes. Under the definitions described above wouldn’t Pansexual and Bisexual be the same thing? Or when Queer or Asexual people choose someone to be with would they then drop the Q or A and adopt one of the L, G, B or T letters? Absurdity afoot.

The decision to include Allies, Questioning and 2 Spirit is also confusing to me. Last time I checked all people following into one of the above categories are still able to marry, adopt children, be covered under their partner’s insurance or are generally accepted into mainstream society.

In the quest to be distinguished as each being a seperate group worthy of distinction we further move from the end objective which is not to be different from heterosexuals but to be included as people “worthy” of the same rights as others.

That is all.