Sexuality

I. Article - Sexual Identity

     Sexual identity is at the core of your sexuality. Just as with other aspects of your identity (male or female, young or old, and so on) your sexual identity is how you see your sexual self and how you express that part of yourself to others. But it is just part of yourself - there is more to you as a person than your sexual identity. Most people have many relationships, such as with friends and family, that have nothing to do with their sexual identity.

     Sexual identity is one of the three aspects of your sexuality, along with sexual orientation and sexual practices. Sexual orientation describes your underlying sexual preferences, based on a consistent pattern of sexual arousal. Your sexual orientation may be marked by sexual attraction towards people of the opposite sex or towards people of the same sex. For some people, sexual orientation may be towards people of both sexes. Sexual practices are what you do when you have sex, as in the sexual activity itself. All these aspects of sexuality are fluid and may change over time.

     We tend to categorise people according to the sexual identity they adopt: heterosexual, gay, lesbian or bisexual. But these categories can be too limiting because they don't reflect how some people see themselves. People may adopt variations on these identities, depending on how they feel and who they are with. Their sexual identities may also evolve throughout their lives.
      Your sexual identity can be different to your sexual practices. For example, you might present yourself to others as a male heterosexual and it's how you see yourself. But you might sometimes have sex with men. Having bisexual sex doesn't necessarily mean that your sexual identity is bisexual, if that isn't how you see yourself. It might just be what felt right for you at that time and with that person.

     Your sexual identity may not match your sexual orientation. For example, you might be a woman who is consistently attracted to women but still describe yourself as 'straight'. You might feel more comfortable living this way. But you may change and develop a sexual identity as a lesbian to the point where you 'come out' to yourself and others.

* Article retrieved from http://www.yoursexhealth.org/html/details.php?det=0,2

II. The NOH8 Campaign

A photographic silent protest inspired in 2008 by the passing of Proposition 8 in California, amending the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

III. Giant Gay Repellent Umbrella

Taking a break from the serious issue of sexual orientation acceptance with this video. Enjoy!

IV.  Quote

When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.  - Epitaph of Leonard P. Matlovich, 1988

V.  Resources

• Sex Trafficking Fact Sheet
• This article is presented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It defines human trafficking, explains what victims go through, how they are often coerced, and provides a resource hotline for victims.
• http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/fact_sex.pdf

• Pregnant Teen Help
• This website is geared toward teens and provides statistics, prevention methods, and facts about teenage pregnancy. Some of the main topics discussed are adoption, weight gain, department of human services, consequences of unplanned pregnancy, health risks, and STD information.
• http://www.pregnantteenhelp.org/

VI. Explanation

     Sexuality is a hugely controversial topic in the United States; it used to be a taboo topic but now we have a wide range of opinions, from people who are accepting of everyone to people who still attempt to criminalize anything that varies from the majority. This topic has always interested me, simply because I cannot believe the amount of effort people put into fighting something that doesn't affect them. For example, a common argument against gay marriage is that it will 'ruin the sanctity of marriage,' however I am not sure why the heterosexual, mostly married individuals who profess this are so threatened by two other people choosing to commit their lives to one another. I'm also curious how 'sacred' marriage can be if we look at the incredible divorce rate and the constantly-broadcast infidelity of celebrities in American society today.

     The article on sexual identity is brief but I chose it because I like how it explains that there are three parts to defining one's sexuality: sexual identity, sexual orientation, and sexual practices. The picture is from the NOH8 Campaign, which as described above, is a silent protest in response to the passing of Prop 8 in California in 2008. The video is one that I have seen on several occasions before, and that I find quite humorous; of course there is a serious topic behind this, because the video is a spoof of an actual anti-gay marriage video. I really enjoyed the quote, because I feel that it speaks volumes about how backwards our society is set up; someone can be a fantastic all-around person with a great work ethic and admirable social standing, but all that can be overshadowed by a matter of the heart, and this is sickening to me. The resources I chose to include touch on a couple other areas in the chapter that I also feel are very important: human trafficking and teen pregnancy.

VII.  Sexuality Word Search

W Z L V T G X O D O M T Y N Z A N S 
S U J Q Q I R E B S M Q L Z Y O V E 
A E K R Z G N J I F C Y S N I F L X 
I W X Q M D N R N S A H G T M B M U 
B D R U C U U B P U Q X A F U K O A 
O Q F C A O Y R O E H T R E E U Q L 
H Z C F T L J J O F N H N X J V X S 
P M O X K Q I X T E E X L B Z N U C 
O O E E F H P D I T M X I C F K B R 
M S E X U A L R E V O L U T I O N I 
O U T C I C O R U N E L G S X F U P 
H X J G Q L O O A N T U J C S D U T 
Y P Z T A S Z F H S O I G D R G G S 
O H D U E P O H G G C P T E E H T R 
R R X X C O M I N G O U T Y N I A T 
H E I B J O W O K D J T X N O I F U 
S S J U O Q G E L H W V F Y Z L C P 
M G X G W W C W U B B V P R M D G S 

coming out

eugenics

heterosexism

homophobia

queer theory

sex tourism

sexual identity

sexual orientation 

sexual revolution

sexual scripts