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Nebulasexual is the latest term you might have heard in passing, but what does it mean?
From abrosexuality to graysexual, there are many other sexual orientations in the world aside from the common trio (gay, bisexual, and straight). But if someone told you they were nebulasexual, you might be a little confused.
As it sounds a little intergalactic, you may be forgiven for assuming they are attracted to aliens, astronomy, or the night sky.
However, that’s not true.
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The term, which first came about online on Tumblr in 2014, refers to someone having a nebulous sexuality.
This means that it’s not defined, which can be due to neurodivergence or because they have intrusive thoughts.
Per Sexuality Wiki, nebulasexual is a sexuality that comes under the quoisexual umbrella, which essentially means that a person ‘cannot tell if they experience sexual attraction or not, due to neurodivergence or intrusive thoughts/urges/images'.
While they might want sex or a sexual relationship, they do not know if they ‘experience attraction’.
The website alleges that the term should only be used by ‘neurodivergent individuals or individuals with intrusive thoughts/urges/images.’
On Reddit, a person was questioning their label and asked for help from their peers.
They wrote about finding out about nebulasexuality, and wanting to explore it further, writing: “I am neurodivergent and specifically on the autism spectrum. I have concluded that I am recipromantic but I have found this term, nebulasexual, (under the quiosexual umbrella) pretty much to describe my experience when it and find it hard to know if I experience sexual attraction or not.
"I was wondering if there are other neurodivergents who identify as nebulasexual willing to share their experiences?”
Someone who found out its meaning on a different thread simply wrote of the term: “Adds another label to the pile thanks.”
According to psychosexual therapist and Lovehoney expert, Annabelle Knight, the orientation ‘reflects something that’s always existed’ but hadn’t been officially defined.
She told Metro: “For many neurodivergent people, processing emotions and sensations can feel different.
“Social cues, bodily signals, or even the concept of attraction might not register in the same way as they do for neurotypical people, which can make it confusing to know whether you want someone sexually or are simply drawn to them in another way.
“Nebulasexuality gives a name to that uncertainty – it’s not about indecision, but about navigating a more complex sensory and emotional landscape.”
People who are neurodivergent might struggle with their orientation, per the National Institutes of Health, meaning that they are more likely to identify as LGBTQ.
Of course, if you’re finding it hard to determine your sexuality, speaking to someone could help you put it into perspective.
Topics: LGBTQ, Sex and Relationships
Britt Jones