Heteroflexibility is the fastest-growing sexual identity, blurring the lines of straightness and redefining desire. But its meteoric rise is sparking backlash, with some in the LGBTQ+ community arguing that the term is making “bisexuals invisible.”
New data from an alternative dating app reveals a striking shift in how people identify their sexuality – with heteroflexible emerging as the fastest-growing label. Often defined as mostly straight but open to same-sex experiences, this identity sits in a gray area that’s both personal and provocative.
What is heteroflexible?
According to Verywell Mind, heteroflexible “describes the sexual behavior of someone who identifies as straight but sometimes has sex with people of the same sex.”
This means that the label is used to identify those who are mostly straight but occasionally engage in same-gender sex – without identifying as gay, bisexual, pansexual, or any other queer label.
It’s a fluid identity that challenges traditional definitions of sexuality and highlights just how much the lines between straight and queer have begun to blur.
And it’s quickly gaining traction.
Growing popularity
In a recent study, Feeld, a “dating app for the curious,” reports a nearly 200% rise in users identifying as heteroflexible in the past year alone.
Although the app doesn’t disclose exact user numbers, it notes that “data reveals a dramatic surge in sexual fluidity, with heteroflexible growing 193% as the fastest growing sexuality.”
Feeld explains the report “underscores a cultural pivot where once-taboo sexual practices and fringe relationship dynamics are moving firmly into the mainstream, reshaping how people connect, experiment, and evolve.”
Suggests curiosity
The study, released Dec. 29, 2025, shows that the trend is not limited to the youngest generations.
While Millennials – those born between the early 1980s and 1996 – make up two-thirds of Feeld’s heteroflexible community, and Gen Z accounts for 18%, the trend is reaching older demographics as well. About 15.5% of users who identify as heteroflexible fall into Gen X, individuals born between 1965 and 1980.
Dr. Luke Brunning, a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Leeds who collaborated with Feeld on the findings, believes the data reflects broader cultural shifts.
“The explosive growth of heteroflexibility suggests curiosity is becoming culturally acceptable, especially among younger users,” he said, per Daily Mail. “For some, heteroflexible will describe accurately how they experience attraction or typically behave. For others, it might be more of a promise-to-self, something they want to look into further, explore, or which they hope they will be in a position to experience in the future.”
As Brunning pointed out, for many users, identifying as heteroflexible is not just about what they’ve done, but about what they’re open to.
Bi-erasure and invisibility
For some, the variability is part of the term’s draw.
But, for others, as Verywell Mind reports, the term “can be controversial, as some suggest that it contributes to bi-erasure and bi-invisibility.”
“Unfortunately, a lot of folks would argue this term actually contributes to bi-erasure. I think it’s up to the person to label themselves how they choose, but this one has always rubbed me the wrong way,” one person told Feeld.
Another suggests that heteroflexible “isolates, marginalizes, and makes bisexuals invisible within the LGBT community.”
‘Outside the lines’
Still, others see heteroflexibility not as a threat to existing identities but as a nuanced way of capturing a specific lived reality – especially for people who don’t feel fully represented by traditional terms.
“I think it’s awesome. Just like homoflexible. This term allows an element of curiosity outside the lines of official labels. All humans are neatly curious in every aspect of life. Whatever label you want to use should be seen as chalk, not a permanent marker,” a Feeld member explained.
As people continue to explore identity on their own terms, heteroflexibility is offering a label not just for what people are, but for who they might become.
What do you think of all these labels that define sexuality? Please let us know your thoughts and then share this story so we can hear from others!
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