Monosexuality
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{{Sexual orientation}}
A '''monosexual''' is someone who is [[sexual attraction|sexually attracted]] to one [[sex]] (or [[gender]]) only, '''monosexuality''' being the corresponding [[sexual orientation]]. A monosexual can be either [[heterosexual]] or [[homosexual]].
The term is fairly uncommon, mostly used in discussions of [[bisexuality]] to denote everyone other than bisexuals/[[pansexual]]s (with the exception of [[asexual]]s, who are not sexually attracted to any gender). It was likely adopted in place of [[unisexual]], which is already used in biology and would produce confusion. It is often considered derogatory by the people to whom it is applied,<ref>Hamilton, Alan (2000). ''{{waybackdate|site=http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/glossary.html|date=20070805044122}} ''of "LesBiGay and Transgender Glossary", ''[http://www.biresource.net/ Bisexual Resource Center]''.</ref> and is not in common use as a self-label by either straight or gay people.
The proportion of people who fit into the category depends on how one uses the word. If the term is used to mean exclusively monosexual in behavior, then according to [[Alfred Kinsey]]'s controversial [[Kinsey Reports|studies]], 67% of men and 87-90% of women are what may now be termed "monosexual" as determined by behaviour.<ref>(1999). [http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/resources/bib-homoprev.html "Prevalence of Homosexuality"], ''The Kinsey Institute''. Note that Kinsey does use the term, which did not exist, but that he uses "exclusively homosexual" and "exclusively heterosexual".</ref> If the term is used to describe emotional response, the proportion is lower for men, 58%.
Freud thought that no one was born monosexual and that it had to be taught by parents or society though most people appear to believe that monosexuals are in fact the majority and identify as such.
[[Music critic]] and [[music analysis|analyst]] Fred Maus <ref>Maus, Fred (2004). "Sexual and Musical Categories", ''The Pleasure of Modernist Music'', p.164. ISBN 1-58046-143-3.</ref> compares the criticism of [[Béla Bartók]]'s works for their use of [[tonality]] and [[atonal|nontonal]] methods unique to each piece to the bias towards monosexuality and against [[bisexuality]] (see [[biphobia]]).
==Controversy==
Among those [[gay]] men and [[lesbian]]s who are familiar with this term, it is widely considered to be an ideologically [[loaded word]] intended to [[privilege]] bisexuality over other sexual orientations.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Some in the bisexual community also avoid using the term for this reason.
In the early 1990s a [[Usenet]] [[flaming|flamewar]] raged for many months on the groups [[soc.bi]] and [[soc.motss]] over whether this term was [[heterophobia|heterophobic]]/[[homophobia|homophobic]], or whether it was simply the justified bisexual response to a frequently [[biphobia|biphobic]] gay and lesbian culture.{{Fact|date=July 2008}}
==See also==
*[[Biphobia]]
*[[Gynephilia and androphilia]]
*[[Kinsey Reports]]
*[[Monosexism]]
== References ==
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{{Bi footer}}
[[Category:Sexual orientation]]
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