Sexuality

Sexuality is a very broad term for sexual orientation. It can be used to describe who someone is attracted to, as well as other aspects of sexual expression.

Sexuality is very personal. Everyone is different. Who you find physically, emotionally or sexually attractive is personal to you and is a very important part of who you are.

Sexuality is different to gender identity. Sexual orientation is who you are attracted to romantically, emotionally and sexually. Your gender identity is not about who you attracted to, but about who you are.

You may not be sure what your sexuality is, and your sexuality can also change over time and through your experiences. The important thing is to choose what feels comfortable to you and respect other people’s decisions.

There are many different types of sexual orientation with new ones being created regularly. However, there are some common labels that people use to identify their sexuality.

These labels are not defined by who they choose to have sex with, more about how they feel and how they choose to identify themselves.

• Straight/heterosexual – attracted to people of the opposite sex or gender
• Gay/homosexual – Attracted to people of the same sex or gender (often used for men, but can apply to anyone).
• Lesbian – A woman who is sexually and/or romantically attracted exclusively to other women.
• Bisexual – Attracted to more than one gender, often men and women, but not necessarily limited to these.
• Pansexual – Attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender identity.
• Polysexual – attracted to multiple genders, but not necessarily all genders .
• Asexual – Experiences little or no sexual attraction to others; may still have romantic attraction or choose to engage in sexual activity for other reasons.
• Demisexual – Experiences sexual attraction only after forming a strong emotional connection.

Sex assigned at birth is based on physical characteristics you are born with. For example:

• A penis is typically associated with being assigned male at birth.
• A vagina is typically associated with being assigned female at birth.

However, sex is not always strictly male or female – some people are born intersex, meaning their physical characteristics don’t fit typical definitions of male or female.

Gender identity is how you feel.

• You may feel the same as the sex you were assigned at birth.
• You may feel different from that sex.
• You may feel neither strictly male nor female.
• You may feel your gender changes over time.

Some of the most common terms include:

• Cisgender – Your gender identity matches the sex you were assigned at birth.
• Non-binary – your gender is not exclusively male or female
• Genderfluid – your gender may fluctuate over time and you may not have a single, static gender identity
• Transgender (trans) – your gender identity is different from the sex you were assigned at birth
• Gender neutral – you don’t associate with being male or female. This is where the pronoun ‘they’ is often used. You can use ‘they’ to refer to a person when their gender is unknown, irrelevant or they are non-binary
• Pangender – you are non-binary and may experience multiple genders either simultaneously or fluctuating over time. This is similar to gender fluidity