If you view yourself as straight yet are receptive to queer experiences, you’re not the only one. You may be categorized as “heteroflexible,” which suggests a “predominantly straight” orientation with some receptiveness to same-sex attraction.

As reported by Feeld, “heteroflexible” is the fastest-growing sexual identity on the hookup application, experiencing a 193 percent surge in 2025. Transitioning between heteroflexible and straight is frequently observed, with millennials making up nearly two-thirds of heteroflexible users (65 percent) and Gen Z at 18 percent.

What does the term heteroflexibility signify?

There is no clear-cut definition of heteroflexibility. It hasn’t been included in scientific research regarding sexual orientation, according to Pavel S. Blagov, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Whitman College.

The term was first brought to light by Laurie Essig, a former sociology professor at Yale University, in a 2000 article for Salon. Essig, currently at Middlebury College, characterized heteroflexibility as someone who primarily leads a heterosexual lifestyle with an emotional bond to the opposite sex but remains open to same-sex encounters and relationships.

Up to 15 percent of Americans may identify with heteroflexibility, as per a 2019 study.

What is the background of the term “heteroflexibility”?

The precise beginning of “heteroflexible” is unclear, but it can be traced back to the 1990s. In the 1997 humorous glossary of LGBTQ slang “When Drag is Not a Car Race,” heteroflexibility is described as “bisexual, or at the very least open to sexual exploration.”

Heteroflexible gained popularity on college campuses in the early 2000s, as noted in Essig’s Salon piece. A 2002 article from The Buffalo News referred to heteroflexible as the “hot term” on campus, defining it as “not completely bisexual but open to adventure.”

How is heteroflexibility perceived in contemporary times?

Currently, the term has a different connotation, according to Blagov, and is examined by scholars in fields such as gender studies, sociology, and public health.

“The idea appears to hold diverse meanings for different individuals and in various segments of popular culture,” he remarks. Heteroflexibility can denote someone’s identity, sexual urges, actions, or a mix of these elements.

Blagov proposes that a person identifying as heteroflexible may express: some attraction toward the same sex, interest in same-sex activities, a supportive stance on sexual diversity, an open attitude about identities, loyalty to a heterosexual identity, and a refusal to label themselves as bisexual or homosexual.

Sociologist Héctor Carrillo and contributor Amanda Hoffman examined American men’s sexual identities in “Straight with a pinch of bi.” They underscored that labels like heteroflexibility and “bi-curious” mirror a refreshed awareness of sexual identity among young straight Americans with same-sex attraction, as they seek acknowledgment and acceptance within society.

Carrillo argued that by not aligning with a queer identity such as bisexual, heteroflexible individuals strive to remain within the “heterosexual category,” implying that same-sex attraction and actions “are not entirely at odds with heterosexuality.”

Blagov stressed that heteroflexibility is not a well-established concept in psychology. “It doesn’t describe how a person’s mind operates or any objectively defined distinctions among people,” he stated. It’s merely a term people use to define themselves and others.

The interpretation of heteroflexible likely differs across individuals and communities and may evolve over time.

Is heteroflexibility merely another term for bisexuality?

Heteroflexibility, according to Essig, “is a dismissal of bisexuality since the unavoidable question within bisexuality revolves around preference, and the heteroflexible preference is rather explicit.”

Initially, Essig was critical of the term, feeling that young people grounded marginalized sexual expressions in the security provided by heterosexuality. Over time, she grew to accept it, believing it might challenge the supremacy of heterosexuality. Essig envisioned a future where everyone would exhibit flexibility.

Other academics have expressed a less optimistic perspective. In a 2009 article addressing queer visibility in media, Lisa Blackman asserted that “heteroflexible” broadens the “heterosexual” label instead of normalizing queer identities. Flexibility represents a “temporary break” from heterosexual desire, a “diversion from the norm.”

Blackman argued that flexibility reinforces heterosexual agency rather than supporting queer individuals. The experience of queer attraction was perceived as something novel for straight individuals (primarily women) to explore. She referenced characters like Samantha Jones from “Sex and the City” and Jessica from “Kissing Jessica Stein” as examples who temporarily engaged with homosexuality.

Does “heteroflexibility” interpret queer attraction in terms of…straightness? In Blackman’s view, yes, stated Andrew Cheng, an assistant professor in the linguistics department at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

While this viewpoint is an academic exploration into film and television, others within the queer community have criticized the term for comparable reasons. Writer Charlie Williams indicated in Affinity Magazine that “heteroflexible”