Heteroflexibility explained: Millennials lead growth in emerging sexual identity. What is it?

Feeld’s report stated that millennials accounted for the largest proportion of users identifying as heteroflexible.

A new report published by dating app Feeld indicated a substantial increase in the number of users identifying as heteroflexible, placing the term among the fastest-growing sexual identities recorded on the platform over the past year.

The findings were outlined in Feeld’s Raw 2025 report, an annual review examining how sexual identities, desires and relationship structures evolved among its global user base during the year. According to the data, the number of users describing themselves as heteroflexible rose by 193 per cent compared with the previous year.

Heteroflexibility is generally used to describe individuals who identify as heterosexual but remain open to, or have occasional, sexual or romantic experiences with people of the same sex. Mental health and psychology platform Verywell Mind has previously described the term as a subset within the broader bisexual spectrum, noting that while bisexual individuals may experience attraction to more than one gender consistently, heteroflexible people primarily identify as straight while allowing for exceptions.

Research referenced by Verywell Mind has suggested that approximately 15 per cent of people in the United States identify as heteroflexible, indicating that the term has gained wider recognition beyond niche dating communities.

Feeld’s report stated that millennials accounted for the largest proportion of users identifying as heteroflexible. Around two-thirds of those who selected the label belonged to the millennial age group. Gen Z users made up 18 per cent of the group, while 15.5 per cent were classified as Gen X.

Geographically, Berlin emerged as the city with the highest number of users identifying as heteroflexible on the app. The city also recorded the greatest concentration of users in open relationships. New York City, meanwhile, registered the fastest growth in users identifying as bisexual, with an increase of 161 per cent during the same period.

Commenting on the findings, Dina Mohammad-Laity, Feeld’s vice-president of data, said the platform had observed notable changes in how users approached intimacy and identity. “We’re seeing a surge in people exploring connection and playfulness in authentic, fluid ways, redefining what it means to be seen and to connect in 2025,” she said.

The report also noted that the term heteroflexible was used by individuals with varied experiences and motivations. This included people who had previously engaged in same-sex encounters, those who experienced occasional same-sex attraction, individuals who described themselves as bi-curious, and people in heterosexual relationships who were open to non-traditional sexual experiences, including threesomes.

Coverage by Vice has previously suggested that part of the rise in heteroflexibility may stem from the breadth of situations the label encompasses, allowing individuals to articulate attraction or curiosity without fully adopting a bisexual or pansexual identity.

However, the growing use of the term has also prompted criticism. Some members of bisexual and pansexual communities have expressed concern that heteroflexibility could dilute or overshadow identities that have historically faced marginalisation and limited visibility.

Dr Luke Brunning, a lecturer in applied ethics at the University of Leeds, addressed the broader implications of the data in a statement released alongside the report. “These changes speak to the growing awareness that sexuality is complex,” he said. “If anything, it would be surprising if people were never sexually curious about people of their own sex or gender, or if attraction worked in neat and predictable ways.”