What is demisexuality? Plus 5 other lesser-known sexualities explained

Chappell Roan has come out as demisexual as part of a new interview on hit podcast Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, during a frank conversation about sex and sexuality.

The Good Luck Babe singer, who is a lesbian, has shared that she also identifies with demisexuality when it comes to defining who she is attracted to. Following a discussion about sex, labels and wanting to “belong” to something, Roan says, “Yeah, that is so real. It’s so nice when there’s a label that fits you perfectly.”

She then reveals she feels this way about demisexuality, explaining: “It’s like you have to have a really strong relationship to feel like you want to hook up with [someone]... When I heard about that I was like, ‘Oh, that makes sense to me’. Like, I don’t want to hook up with people I just met. That is why I’m so uncomfortable when I’m hit on, because I’m like ‘I don’t know you.’

“And that is why I get myself in trouble and date my friends,” Roan continues. “It’s such a turnoff when people are so bold at the beginning, like, you don’t know me.”

So what is demisexuality? Being demisexual is less of a sexuality in the gendered sense of who you are attracted to, though it may be confused with bisexuality due to its name.

Demisexuality is actually on the same spectrum of asexuality. It means to not be sexually attracted to another person unless a strong emotional connection has been formed.

Roan is not the first celebrity to “come out” as demisexual. Last year, N Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos prompted a wave of frantic Google searches when she revealed her demisexuality on I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

In 2020, Pop author and artist Alex Kazemi spoke about being demisexual in an interview with King Kong Garçon. “I’m a demisexual demigod. Demisexuality is the future. The idea of demisexuality is only having sex with people that you feel emotions, love or energy for. It’s so much about the souls connecting.”

Nor is she the first celebrity to identify with a lesser-known sexuality. In 2019, Mark Ronson revealed that he considered himself to be “sapiosexual” — when a person is sexually attracted to highly intelligent people, though following a negative reaction he retracted the comments.

“I do not consider myself part of any marginalised community, and I apologise if anybody misunderstood or took offense to it,” Ronson told Rolling Stone.