Omniromantic - What is it? What does it mean?

Terminology

Omniromantic is a contraction of "omni-," coming from the Latin word "omnis/omnia," meaning "everything" or "all," and romantic. As such, its literal meaning is "romantically [attracted] to all genders." In this, it is different from panromantic, which comes from the Ancient Greek prefix "pan-," which essentially has the same meaning as "omni."

History

Unfortunately, not much is known on the history of the term omniromantic. For instance, it is unknown who coined the term, when it was coined, and when it was first used in the LGBT community. The oldest entry on UrbanDictionary on this term stems from January 2015, so it can be said with certainty that the term has been in use since at least then. How long exactly the term had circulated prior to this entry is not known.

Flags and Symbols

The omniromantic flag consists of five horizontal stripes of equal breadth with a large heart in the centre of the flag, stretching from the top until the bottom of the flag. The stripes are coloured, top to bottom: light pink, dark pink, dark purple, light purple, light blue. These colours represent the multitude of genders that omniromantic people are attracted to, from female (pink) to make (blue) with everything in between and outside of this binary, portrayed as a spectrum of colours to match the gender spectrum. The heart in the middle of the flag is coloured slightly darker than the colour of the corresponding stripe.

Omniromantic flag

Pronouns

Omniromantic says something about a person's romantic attraction to other people. It does not say anything about the gender of the person who describes their romantic orientation by using this term. As such, no general statement can be made about the pronouns used for omniromantic people. One thing that should be noted, however, is that, since omniromantic people are romantically attracted to people of all genders, it is very well possible that whomever they are dating uses non-binary pronouns. For this reason, as well as because you should never assume pronouns, make sure to always ask both the omniromantic person and their partner what pronouns they go by, in order to create a safe and inclusive environment for all.

Am I omniromantic?

After reading this article, you may ask yourself if this label fits your romantic orientation. To help you figure this out, we've compiled a short list of questions you can ask yourself to help you on your way of figuring out whether you are omniromantic. Ask yourself:

• Am I attracted to people of all genders?
• Am I attracted to people for their gender rather than regardless of their gender?
• Am I more attracted to people of one or multiple certain gender(s) than I am to people of other genders?

If you answered yes to all these questions, you may be omniromantic. However, keep in mind that figuring out your romantic orientation can be a long process that requires honesty and introspection, and it is likely that you'll need more than just a few quick questions to decide. For this reason, take this list only as a starting point. If your interest is piqued, your next step could be to navigate to online forums or attend a meet-up and ask if other omniromantic people would be willing to share some of their lived experiences with you so that you can figure out if you relate to these.

How to support someone who is omniromantic

Here are some tips on how to support your omniromantic friends or family members:

• Be supportive and be an ally!
• Wave the omniromantic flag.
• Understand that romantic and sexual attraction do not necessarily go hand in hand.
• Respect your friend or family member's wishes regarding coming out to their environment; only they can decide when they are ready, and the best you can do is support them regardless of what decision they make and when they make it.

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