People are coming out as ‘Berrisexual’ – here’s what it means

Berrisexual is a new term. Credit: Shutterstock

Here at Newsner, we’ve explained ‘graysexual‘, ‘demisexual‘ and ‘almondsexual‘ over the past year or so, bringing our readers up to speed as we find out for ourselves in real time.

Call it a sign of the times, perhaps, but it seems like there are new ways, new labels for one to define their experiences of attraction being created constantly.

Now, let me make it clear that I don’t have anything specifically against this. I’m not some grumpy curmudgeon resisting change and vehemently complaining because things aren’t exactly the way they used to be.

That said, it can all get a bit confusing. It seems like there are so many ways for people to identify, such a large spectrum of words with which to describe one’s sexuality and preferences when it comes to attraction, that it’s impossible to keep track.

Which is why we’re doing our best to keep people informed and updated. In that vein, we thought it only right to shed some light on the concept of being “berrisexual”.

As per reports, people on Reddit are identifying as being berrisexual, so here’s exactly what it means.

On Urban Dictionary, one of the earliest definitions describes someone who identifies as berrisexual as “someone attracted to women and feminine genders and androgynous genders, but also very rarely attracted to men and masculine genders.”

Put simply, berrisexual individuals can be attracted to people across all genders, though attraction to men or masculine people tends to be lighter, less frequent, or secondary.

The term is relatively new compared to, say, those such as bisexual and pansexual, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a right to hold space. Indeed, some Reddit users expressed their happiness at finally having a tag that better fits their personality and preference.

“Many people don’t know about berris**ual, and we need more representation!” one person wrote on Reddit.

“Now I don’t have to pick because berri fits like a glove,” another added, referencing a previous struggle to define their sexuality.

As one contributor on the LGBTQIA+ Fandom site put it: “Berrisexuality is about attraction to all genders… you can always date a man.”

A micro label more niche and specific than broader terms including bi, pan, or omnisexual, berrisexual allow for a small set of people to feel comfortable in their sexuality.

According to Queerdom Wiki, berrisexuality – also sometimes known as Laurian – is similar to pansexuality or omnisexuality in that an individual can experience attraction to all genders.

The main difference is the aforementioned attraction to men or masculine-aligned people being rarer or less strong than attraction toward women and nonbinary or androgynous people.

Did you know what being Berrisexual meant? Let us know in the comments.