“Sexuality involves our relationship with ourselves, those around us and the society in which we live – whether we identify as gay, heterosexual, lesbian, bisexual or celibate.”
Sexuality and sexual orientation is something people become increasingly aware of as they move through their teen years and into their 20’s. Many people know with certainty at an early age which sex they prefer. Many others only discover their sexual identity over several years and after some experimentation.
Which Sexual Orientation are you?
Homosexual / Gay = sexual or romantic attraction to a person of the same sex, (i.e. man + man)
Lesbian = sexual or romantic attraction to a person of the same sex – this is the same as homosexual but people usually only refer to women + women as lesbian.
Heterosexual / straight = sexual or romantic attraction between opposite sexes, and this is the most common sexual orientation among humans.
Transgendered = This is the term usually used to describe people who do not act in usual ‘accepted’ gender roles. For example, cross-dressers, drag queens and people who identify as gender queer.
Bisexual = sexual or romantic attraction of individuals to others of both sexes. Most bisexuals are not equally attracted to men and women and may even shift between states of finding either gender particularly attractive over time. However, some bisexuals are and remain fairly stable in their level of attraction throughout their adult life.
Your sexual orientation may be different to your friends or family, but that doesn’t mean you are a bad person just because you are sexually or romantically attracted to someone who may be the same sex as you, or both sexes – or no sexes at all. It’s up to you who you fancy.
When you’re growing up it’s totally normal to have crushes on all kinds of people, including people of the same sex. If you do, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re gay.
There is no ‘set’ age when people decide which sexual orientation they ‘are’ – some people know from a very early age and others are well into adulthood.
When it comes to relationships, there’s no right or wrong. Everyone has the right to be with someone they like – regardless of who they are.
Talking about your feelings with friends and family can be hard. You might be scared that they won’t understand – or that they’ll think you’re weird. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone you don’t know and there are all kinds of places that you can call or visit for confidential advice or even just a chat.
Sex