Sexual Orientation

Heterosexual individuals are attracted to people of the opposite gender, meaning a man is attracted to a woman, and vice versa. Heterosexuality is the most common and most visible sexual orientation in our society.

It is often assumed by default that people are heterosexual, and heterosexual individuals rarely have to fight for their orientation or face harassment because of it.

Note that the term heterosexuality is influenced by gender binary — the idea that there are only two genders.

Homosexual individuals are attracted to people of the same gender, e.g., a woman is attracted to another woman and vice versa. Homosexual men are often referred to as gay, and homosexual women as lesbians.

There are many misconceptions and stereotypes about homosexuality, such as the idea that all gay men are feminine and all lesbians are masculine. But gay people are diverse, and many don’t fit into these narrow ideas. Everyone has the right to define their sexual orientation in the way that suits them.

A common misunderstanding is that homosexuality is the "opposite" of heterosexuality, and that those are the only options. That’s not the case — many people fall somewhere in between or outside of that binary!

Bisexual individuals are attracted to more than one gender. Bisexual people have had to fight for recognition and not be erased by heterosexual or homosexual labels.

A bisexual person’s orientation does not change depending on the gender of their current partner — for example, a bisexual girl doesn’t become heterosexual if she’s dating a boy, or homosexual if she’s dating a girl.

Attraction can also vary in intensity between genders and may change over time or depend on the person.

Pansexual individuals are attracted to people of all genders (similar to bisexuality). However, this does not mean they are equally attracted to everyone. Some define pansexuality as being attracted to personality regardless of gender or gender expression (see: gender identity). Like everyone else, pansexual people often have their own preferences when it comes to physical attraction — but gender doesn’t necessarily play a role in that.

To be asexual means experiencing little or no sexual attraction to others. An asexual person might still feel emotionally attracted to someone, but not have any desire for sex or sexual activity. This is not the same as choosing not to have sex (e.g., celibacy). Asexuality is about not feeling sexual desire, although some asexual people may still choose to engage in sex for different reasons.

People who are not interested in romantic relationships are sometimes described as aromantic.