We’ve spent the past year or so explaining terms like ‘graysexual’, ‘demisexual’, and ‘almondsexual’, helping our readers stay informed as these identities emerge in real time.
It seems that new labels continue to appear, offering people additional ways to describe their experiences of attraction.
To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with this. I’m not resistant to change or bitter because terminology is evolving.
However, it can sometimes be overwhelming. With so many labels available to express sexual orientation and attraction, it can be hard to keep up.
To help, we’re highlighting the concept of “berrisexual.”
According to reports, people on Reddit are using this term to describe themselves, so here’s what it means.
One early definition on Urban Dictionary describes a berrisexual person as someone “attracted to women and feminine genders and androgynous genders, but only rarely to men and masculine genders.”
In simpler terms, berrisexual individuals may be attracted to people of any gender, but their attraction to men or masculine-aligned people is usually less frequent or secondary.
While berrisexuality is newer compared to more established terms like bisexual or pansexual, it provides an important identity for those who feel it fits them best. Many Reddit users have expressed relief and happiness at having a label that better reflects their personality and preferences.
“Many people don’t know about berrisexual, and we need more representation!” one person wrote.
“Now I don’t have to choose because ‘berri’ fits me perfectly,” added another, referencing a past struggle with defining their sexual identity.
On the LGBTQIA+ Fandom site, one contributor noted: “Berrisexuality involves attraction to all genders… you can always date a man.”
As a micro-label, berrisexual is more specific than broader terms like bi, pan, or omnisexual, allowing a smaller group of people to feel comfortable with their identity.
Queerdom Wiki explains that berrisexuality — sometimes called Laurian — is similar to pansexuality or omnisexuality because a person can experience attraction to all genders.
The main distinction is that attraction to men or masculine-aligned individuals tends to be less frequent or less intense compared to attraction to women and nonbinary or androgynous individuals.