M-Spec Lesbians

A guide and explanation for m-spec lesbian identities

Definition

M-Spec lesbians are lesbians that experience attraction to more than one gender. While many lesbians are monosexual and monoromantic (experience attraction to only one gender), this is not always the case.

There are more labels under the m-spec lesbian umbrella. Common examples include bi-lesbian, pan-lesbian, poly-lesbian, and omni-lesbian.

With this said, it should always be assumed that lesbians do not experience attraction to men or man-aligned people unless specified otherwise. It should also be assumed that individuals who use the lesbian label don't want to be labeled as m-spec (or anything under the m-spec umbrella), and vice versa, unless specified otherwise.

It is important to remember that someone else's identity cannot invalidate your own. You are separate people with separate experiences, as well as your own individual reasons for choosing the labels you use. Their identity has no bearing on yours. Labels are best used to describe people, not define people. People don't usually fit in neat boxes, and at the end of the day, people will describe themselves in whatever way they see fit.

Reasons for the Label

There are many reasons that one may identify with the m-spec lesbian label, or labels under the m-spec lesbian umbrella. Common examples include:

  • Experiencing attraction to all genders aside from binary men. While the lesbian label alone can be used to describe this, some prefer to label themselves as m-spec as well. This is often done either to explicitly signal that they experience attraction to multiple genders, or to explicitly acknowledge that nonbinary genders are not "just women."

  • Experiencing attraction to all feminine or woman-aligned genders. This is done for the same reason as the previous point.

  • Experiencing attraction to femininity, but wanting a label less obscure than finsexual, gynosexual, proquasexual, or similar labels.

  • Experiencing split attraction. This means one's romantic, sexual, and/or tertiary attraction do not align with each other. For example, one may exclusively experience romantic attraction to women, but experience sexual attraction to multiple genders. One may not want to refer to themselves as homosexual or homoromantic due to the heavily medicalized (and overall negative) history of those terms.

  • Experiencing attraction to multiple genders, but prioritizing one's attraction to women, or having a heavy preference for women.

  • Experiencing attraction that is fluid between m-spec and lesbian. One may also identify with the abrosexual label.

  • Experiencing lesbian attraction to women and vincian attraction to men due to one's experience as a nonbinary person. Some may also label themselves as gai, lesbivincian, omnique, or similar labels.

  • Being unsure whether one is m-spec or a lesbian, and using both labels as a result.

  • Using the lesbian label synonymously with the sapphic label (i.e. a way to say "I experience queer attraction to women," regardless of the other genders one may or may not be attracted to), often due to it being more well-known.

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