Amphierotic is an adjective describing people who are bisexual, yet typically feel attraction towards and form relationships with people of the same gender.
Hungarian psychoanalyst Sandor Ferenczi coined the term. However, his meaning was a little different to the way we use the word today. According to Ferenczi, people who are amphierotic have a fluid erotic identity which may be male or female, or both genders at once, at any time.
The term is a combination of the Greek terms amphi, meaning “on both sides,” and erotikus, meaning “sexual or passionate love.”
More About Amphierotic
While an amphierotic person may identify as bisexual, their relationships are usually homosexual, rather than heterosexual. They might also identify as homosexual and see the relationships or sexual encounters they have with people of the opposite genders to be anomalies that simply do not fit with their sense of sexual identity. Amphierotic people are likely to sit at a five or perhaps a four on the Kinsey scale. This places them closer to the homosexual end of the spectrum, a six rating, than the straight end. However, it is still within the bisexual range.
Anecdotal evidence suggests most bisexual people prefer forming relationships or having sex with either men or women. It’s more common to be amphierotic than feel equal levels of attraction to both men and women.
Despite this, some amphierotic individuals may struggle with their sexual identity, confused about whether they should identify as bisexual or homosexual. In some cases, they may also face resistance from their peers. Sometimes people judge amphierotic individuals and the way they label themselves. In some other cases, people may struggle to embrace an amphierotic individual’s heterosexual relationships.
Just because someone seems amphierotic at one point in their lives, it doesn’t mean they will always be. Sexuality and attractions are both fluid and can change over time.
