Men’s Health mocked for pushing ‘gynosexual’ to describe people attracted to women

People who are attracted to women or femininity may be “gynosexual,” according to an article published in Men’s Health magazine last month.

“The number of terms and identities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella is ever-growing, allowing more and more people to describe their sexuality with words that make sense to them,” the article began. “One word you may not have heard that is helping some people express who they are is ‘gynosexual.’”

The article is making rounds on social media after the outlet shared it Monday on Twitter, prompting backlash and making some people scratch their heads about why exactly the new gender-neutral term is being pushed to replace straight men and lesbian women.

Freelancer and sex educator Suzannah Weiss, who authored the piece, quoted sex educator Lilith Fox as saying the term refers to those who are “sexually attracted to the gender identity of the femme-presenting person they are attracted to.”

The term aims to be more “inclusive” for those who identify outside the traditional gender binary. Weiss, for example, claims the term may better describe non-binary persons who are attracted to women than the terms “straight” or “lesbian” would. 

“I’m a man attracted to women I’m heterosexual If I was a woman attracted to women I’d be a lesbian Reject these weird new words We already have words that work fine,” Jay D. Cartere, a fitness coach, commented on the Men’s Health’s post.

Another said, “Considering your audience this should just be called ‘straight’ fam,” to which a third replied, “If they persist with this nonsense, they won’t have an audience much longer.”

Others remarked that they thought the article was a parody, while some called it “madness.”

One even nitpicked the definition of “gynosexual” as a “a non-definitive definition,” adding, it “makes absolutely no sense.”

The article is the latest to pick up on LGBTQ+ terminology that some allege is “erasing” traditional language and attempting to “otherize” the straight community.

The outlet did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Recently, Johns Hopkins University came under fire from critics for its unique definition of “lesbian” as a “non-man attracted to non-men,” a definition later removed following backlash.

The Associated Press also tweaked its style guidelines advising reporters to adopt more LGBTQ+ inclusive language, including replacing the terms “biological male” or “biological female” or “biological sex” with “sex assigned at birth.”

The advice also came with a glossary of LGBTQ+ terms, including “nonbinary” and “genderqueer” for reporters to use as a reference.