Monosexuality, the | monosexual (adj.)

Sexual orientations are usually described in binary terms: People either desire persons of the opposite sex or of their own sex – they are either heterosexual or lesbian/gay (Roberts et al., 2015).  At the same time, the assumption that people desire only one sex makes it possible to separate heterosexuality and homosexuality as opposite poles in the first place. This contrasts with bisexual or pansexual individuals, for example, whose desires include multiple genders. Sociologist Kim Ritter describes the social monosexual order as institutionalized monosexuality, "in which cross-gender sexuality is not accorded equal social status" (ibid. 2020: 20). This means that monosexuality is socially regarded as the norm and this hierarchy becomes institutionally entrenched. According to Ritter, institutionalized monosexuality manifests itself, among other things, through the denial of bisexuality as an independent sexuality and reduces it to something between heterosexuality and homosexuality. 

Monosexuality as the social norm is the basis for discrimination against bisexual and pansexual people. This kind of discrimination is called monosexism (Ritter, 2020).

• Roberts, T. S.; Horne, S. G.; Hoyt, W.T. (2015): Between a Gay and a Straight Place: Bisexual Individuals. Experiences with Monosexism. In: Journal of Bisexuality, vol. 15/4, S. 554–569.

• Ritter, K. E. (2020): Jenseits der Monosexualität. Selbstetikettierung und Anerkennungskonflikte bisexueller Menschen. Gießen: Psychosozial-Verlag.