“We tend to associate gray with what is boring, but there are a thousand kinds of gray, and when combined with colors its varieties are endless”
-Krisztina Fehérváry
Definition
A grayromantic person is someone on the Aromantic scale that instead of being entirely aromantic experiences infrequent romantic attraction. This can also mean experiencing romantic attraction weakly, or feeling it but not wanting to act upon it. It can be a feeling of being alienated from romance or romance in very specific circumstances. It can also mean having difficulty identifying romantic attraction and how to delineate between romantic and non-romantic attraction, which can leave them feeling confused if they experienced romantic attraction at all.
Squishy Crushes
A grayromantic person can fall anywhere on the aromantic spectrum; from being interested in romance to being romance averse. Often times they experience squishes, where they have a strong desire to have a platonic relationship with someone. The relationship might then enter into ambiguous territory because a desire to romantically cuddle (or more) starts developing. Such cases typically mean that the Grayro person is OK with having a romantic relationship with the person or just staying friends. This is also known as an alterous attraction. The fluidity of Grayro can be confusing to some people, but grayromantic people tend to find comfort when they realize other people experience ambiguous attraction as well.
Grayromantic As An Umbrella Term
For some grayromantic people and others in the Aro community, Grayromantic is considered an umbrella term for many orientations between Alloromantic and Aromantic on the Aro spectrum. Some of these orientations are Akoiromantic (formerly known as Lithromantic), for people that experience romantic attraction without wanting it to be reciprocated, and Demiromantics that only experience romantic attraction after a close bond has been formed. In the same vein, the Recipromantic and WTFromantic orientations also belong under the Grayromantic umbrella.