K: So, lately I’ve been thinking about LGBTQIA+ and the importance of the plus because I’m part of the plus. I’m pansexual, so, L is for lesbian, G is for gay, B is bisexual, T is for trans, Q is for queer, I is for intersex, A is for asexual, and you can be one or multiple of those things, and plus is for other things such as pansexual and, for me, the plus is so important because I’m a member of the community, and I’m not – I’m kind of more demi-sexual than pansexual in that I’m attracted to people’s intellect. And that’s what I find… drives my sexuality. Not physicality so much.

C: The way people think.

K: Yeah. The way people think, their beliefs, and… more like the beliefs, humor, ability to reason, ability to agree with me. (laughs)

C: I think the plus, too, also captures some things that are culturally specific and differ between cultures. So, like, there’s the two-spirit, which is mostly, you know, American indigenous culture has two-spirit, and then in the Indian culture, there’s hijra. There’s a lot of different things, and I’m not well-versed in all of them.

K: Yeah, and some people consider themselves to be a third gender, and that doesn’t always mean trans.

C: Right.

K: And then there’s also non-binary, gender-fluid, genderqueer, and the list goes on and on. And when you look at, like, pansexual and demi-sexual and quasi-sexual, those are all… outside of the binary and outside of cisgendered heterosexuality.

C: Well, I think not just cisgendered heterosexuality, but cisgendered heterosexual, heteroromantic.

K: Yes.

C: Because I’m seeing a lot more people discussing the fact that some people are sexually attracted to one or more types of people and romantically attracted to a different subset of people.

K: Yes. And, so, I believe something that is controversial, which I find, for me – I think it’s more controversial to say in the United States than it is to say in Japan. I believe that straight men can have sex with men and still identify as straight. And I believe that straight women can have sex with women and still identify as straight. And, in the United States, that’s a really controversial statement. And I find it to not be as controversial in Japan. There are a lot of – I know more so about – I know a few men, but I know more women that identify as straight but want to have sex with women. And I think the reason why I know more women is because I’m a woman.

C: Because you know more women, yeah.

K: Yeah. And because they hit on me, and I’m like, “right now, I’m in a monogamous relationship.” So, I think – right now – I plan to be with you for the rest of my life, and you identify that you would like to be in a monogamous marriage for the rest of our lives. So, we weren’t always monogamous. Now we are.

C: Yeah.

K: So, that’s why I say now because our current state is monogamy. So, do you think that people who are polyamorous are part of the plus?

C: I do not think that people who are polyamorous are part of the plus, and that’s why I was trying to introduce the distinction between who you’re sexually attracted to and who you’re romantically attracted to.

K: So, do you think that the LGBTQIA+ is about romantic attraction?

C: I think that it includes it, but I think that polyamory is different than being part of the

K: Queer community.

C: Yeah, I’m just going to call it the queer community rather than saying the whole thing each time.

K: Yeah.

C: I think that you – being polyamorous is a decision about monogamy versus non-monogamy rather than who you’re attracted to, who you want to have sex with, who you want to have relationships with.

K: Yes.

C: I think, let’s say, you’re a woman, and you are only polyamorous with men. You only want to have sex with men. You only want to have re