Sexual Orientation

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The gender(s) towards which a person is romantically or sexually attracted.

Gender Identity: This refers to an individual's own sense of their gender, which may or may not match the sex assigned at birth.
Sex Assigned at Birth: This refers to the biological sex one is assigned at birth based on physical characteristics.
Biological Sex: This refers to the physical and physiological characteristics that define male, female, and intersex bodies.
Heterosexuality: This refers to sexual attraction and/or romantic attraction to individuals of the opposite sex.
Homosexuality: This refers to sexual attraction and/or romantic attraction to individuals of the same sex.
Bisexuality: This refers to sexual attraction and/or romantic attraction to individuals of both sexes.
Pansexuality: This refers to sexual attraction and/or romantic attraction to individuals regardless of their gender identity or biological sex.
Asexuality: This refers to a lack of sexual attraction or desire.
Gender Expression: This refers to the way individuals present their gender to others through clothing, behavior, and other means.
Hyper-masculinity and toxic masculinity: This refers to exaggerated and harmful expressions of masculinity, often associated with aggression and violence.
Femininity: This refers to traits, behaviors, and characteristics traditionally associated with women.
Gender Roles: These are societal expectations and norms related to behavior and roles based on gender identity.
Gender stereotypes: These are oversimplified and often untrue generalizations about people based on their gender identity.
Transgender: This refers to individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth.
Queer: This is an umbrella term used by some individuals within the LGBTQ+ community to describe their identity or experience.
LGBTQ+ History: This refers to the history of marginalized and oppressed communities related to sexuality and gender identity.
Intersex: This refers to individuals born with physical sex characteristics outside of typical male or female classifications.
Sexual Orientation and Mental Health: This refers to the impact of sexual orientation and/or identity on an individual's mental health and wellbeing.
"Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender."
"Asexuality (the lack of sexual attraction to others) is sometimes identified as the fourth category."
"People may use other labels, such as pansexual or polysexual, or none at all."
"Sexual orientation 'also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions.'"
"Androphilia describes sexual attraction to masculinity; gynephilia describes the sexual attraction to femininity."
"Sexual preference largely overlaps with sexual orientation but is generally distinguished in psychological research. A person who identifies as bisexual, for example, may sexually prefer one sex over the other."
"Scientists theorize that it is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences."
"Scientists favor biologically based theories as there is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males."
"There is no substantive evidence which suggests parenting or early childhood experiences play a role with regard to sexual orientation."
"Across cultures, most people are heterosexual, with a minority of people having a homosexual or bisexual orientation."
"A person's sexual orientation can be anywhere on a continuum, from exclusive attraction to the opposite sex to exclusive attraction to the same sex."
"Sexual orientation is studied primarily within biology, anthropology, and psychology (including sexology)."
"It is also a subject area in sociology, history (including social constructionist perspectives), and law."
"These attractions are generally subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality."
"Sexual preference may suggest a degree of voluntary choice, whereas sexual orientation is not a choice."
"Scientists theorize that it is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences."
"There is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males."
"There is no substantive evidence which suggests parenting or early childhood experiences play a role with regard to sexual orientation."
"Asexuality (the lack of sexual attraction to others) is sometimes identified as the fourth category."
"A person's sexual orientation can be anywhere on a continuum, from exclusive attraction to the opposite sex to exclusive attraction to the same sex."