Sexual orientation

Sexual orientation refers to the sex or gender of people who are the focus of a person's amorous or erotic desires, fantasies, and spontaneous feelings, the gender(s) toward which one is primarily "oriented". The alternative terms sexual preference and sexual inclination have similar meanings. Clinicians and those who believe sexuality is fixed early in life tend to use the former term; those believing sexuality is fluid and reflects preference and choice tend towards the latter terms.

Related Topics:
Sex - Gender

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Typically a person may be identified as primarily heterosexual (the focus is primarily people of the opposite sex), homosexual (people of the same sex), bisexual (potentially both or either sexes), or asexual (no sexual attraction for either sex). (But compare Homosexuality and transgender for a discussion on the use of homo- and heterosexual when refering to transgender or intersex people.)

Related Topics:
Heterosexual - Homosexual - Bisexual - Asexual - Homosexuality and transgender - Transgender - Intersex

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The term sexual orientation may also refer to the "identity" to which a person affiliates themselves, either by choice or as an expression of an inner attribute.

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These categories are also used to describe sexual behavior, which may depart from an individual's chosen identity or spontaneous desires.

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Classification of individuals into these groups is controversial, and different observers may prefer orientation, behavior, or self-identification as the sorting criterion, and make different judgments as to degree.

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