A woman came out as "abrosexual" after trying to come to terms with her sexuality for 30 years.
Trying to explain something that stands against social norms can be difficult, but for Emma Flint, it was essential for her to try and live her life as authentically as possible.
And that involves being open about her sexuality.
While she is seemingly confident in who she is - proclaiming to the world that she is "abrosexual" after thirty years of trying to figure it out - it seems as though not everyone was supportive about her journey to acceptance.
"When did you decide this? Is this even a label – I’ve never heard of it. I support you, obviously, but this doesn’t sound real," were the words a friend texted her when she decided to come out.
For those of you who may not be aware, abrosexuality is having different levels of sexual or romantic attraction throughout your life.
According to an article published on Web MD, which was reviewed by health practicioner Gabriela Pichardo, a person who is abrosexual may also have changes in their sexual orientation over time.
For example, a person who is abrosexual might be sexually attracted to men at one point, then not sexually attracted to anyone weeks later. Someone who is abrosexual may have periods of different intensities of attraction to whomever they please.
The term has Greek roots, with the word "abro" meaning "delicate" or "graceful," symbolizing the movement and ever-changing nature of people who identify under this label.
For Emma, learning about the sexuality allowed her to truly embrace a massive part of her without conforming to the usual labels placed on her by society.
"I didn’t learn about abrosexuality until two years ago, when I was 30. Up until that point, I’d struggled to identify what my sexuality was because it fluctuated so rapidly," she wrote in a personal piece for Metro.
She explained how one day she'd "feel like a lesbian" which then quickly shifted to feeling bisexual until she finally came to the realization: "My sexuality was fluid."
However, after coming to the conclusion, the next part of her journey was difficult as trying to explain how she felt to others when they didn't truly understand felt somewhat underwhelming.
Though she noted that people weren't intentionally trying to be hurtful, she was often faced with "blank" faces and follow-up questions - which she is totally fine with as long as they were "respectful."
"I’m not expecting everyone to know what it means – hell, I didn’t until two years ago – but you should always listen with respect," she wrote. "I’m happy to say that the rest of my friends and family have been very supportive of my identity, and have strived to learn more."
But even with all this support, sometimes she stumbles across people who aren't so accepting.
"...It’s still hard to hear things like ‘mate, you’re just confused’ or ‘just say you’re bisexual and be done with it’. I refuse to be boxed in by someone else’s limited knowledge," Emma explained. "We’re all learning new things about ourselves all the time – that’s what growth and development is about."
As for the future, she hopes that abrosexuality will be seen as "normal."
"Eventually, I hope that abrosexuality will be seen as normal, just another identity that someone might have, and not regarded as a way to be ‘on trend’, as some of the hurtful comments I’ve received suggest," she continued.
"I’m no longer nervous about my sexuality because it makes sense to me, and in the end, that’s all that really matters," she added.
