Member-only story
Some Useful Terminology Not Enough LGBT People Use
Some years ago, I was at a conference and one of the people there was non-binary, using they/them pronouns. They were talking about themselves and then they said “I am gynophiliac.”
This is the only time I’ve ever heard anyone actually identify as this. But it’s actually very useful in a couple of situations.
What is Gynophiliac?
Gynophiliac comes from gyno — woman and philiac — loving.
In other words, it means anyone, regardless of gender, who seeks romantic relationships with women. It’s sometimes used by AFAB non-binary people who don’t want to identify as lesbian (some non-binary people do identify as lesbians).
There are three other similar terms:
Gynosexual — anyone, regardless of gender, who seeks physical intimacy/sex with women.
Androphiliac — anyone, regardless of gender, who seeks romantic relationships with men.
Androsexual — anyone, regardless of gender, who seeks physical intimacy/sex with women.
If you aren’t big on the split attraction model (I am, but I know some people aren’t) then you can use them pretty much interchangeably.