Let’s Talk Sexuality and Gender

Sexuality and gender can be a lot to figure out, here are some things that may help!

What is sexuality?

Sexuality means many different things to a lot of different people. It’s an umbrella term that refers to sexual orientation, sexual preferences, and all that comes with having sex. Sexuality is a major part of how we understand the world around us, express our emotions as human beings, and relate to others.

Sexual Orientation 

Is a person’s romantic or sexual attraction to another person! There are a variety of different sexual orientations.

Lesbian: attracted to the same sex (female to female) 

Gay: attracted to the same sex (male to male)

Bisexual: attracted to both sexes (female and male)

Pansexual: sexually or romantically attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender.

Queer or Questioning: Queer is an umbrella term for one to use when they either don’t want to have an exact label or possibly still questioning/ a  term used to express that sexual orientation can change over time, and might not fit neatly into either/or identities

Asexual: experiencing no sexual attraction to others

Heterosexual (Straight):  attracted to the opposite sex (male and female)

Otherwise known as the LGBTQ+ community. The “+” is to let us know that labels change and are added continuously to describe sexual orientation. It’s okay for someones sexual orientation to change over time and it’s okay for it to stay the same as well, sexual orientation lives on a spectrum! Labels are constantly evolving and changing. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if someone uses a term you haven’t heard before.

Gender and Gender Idenitity:

Gender: is defined as the characteristics and behaviors associated with being male or female.

Gender roles: “Socially expected” behaviors and activities that a given society considers appropriate for males and females.

Gender Non-Conformity: Behavior or appearance that does not conform to an expected gender role

Gender Identity: A deeply felt sense of being male or female, or something in between.

Gender Expression: The wat a person expresses a particular gender through apperance, speech, behavior or movment 

Gender Binary: The belief system that represents gender as two distinct and opposite catergories-male and female

Gender Expansive: A more flexible range of gender identities or expressions