Sexual Orientation Section Review

924 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender identity research paper

Section Review 6: Dimensions of Sexual Orientation
A.) Summary and Reaction
The sixth section is about the importance of sexual orientation and respecting these differences in our society. Sexual orientation is a very personal preference and is based on a sexual and/or emotional attraction to another person. This concept can be somewhat confusing for some people in this section discussed. There is a difference between sexual orientation, biological sex, and gender identity. This section also emphasizes that gender is a socially constructed cultural norm and that sexual orientation is not a dichotomous variable. Many people believe you can only be straight or gay (e.g. heterosexual or homosexual), but there are various levels of bisexuality on the sexual orientation continuum. For example, some people are more interested in one sex, but still are open to both. Also, some people can identify as pansexual meaning that they are not limiting themselves to one sexual choice and love all people no matter what sexual orientation, biological sex, and gender identity that the individual may be (e.g. they move along the continuum). This section did a nice job in explaining all the factors to consider when looking at sexual orientation, biological sex, and gender identity differences.

B.) Application …show more content…

It also helps me to see the historical changes over time and the lack of full consensus in this area. It has helped me to be more competent in handling clients who may fall into one of these sexual dimensions. More specifically, it has made me think more about the intersectionality of gay/lesbian identity as a minority in our society. Along with thinking about the rates of depression and anxiety of these individuals due to their struggles with their own sexuality and acceptance of those close to

Show More
Related

  • Homosexuality In Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands/La Frontera

    1907 Words  | 4 Pages

    As of today, there is a total of eight different types of sexual preferences including heterosexuality and homosexuality ("Overview of Sexual Orientations"). The different types of sexuality are absolutely clear to those who identify with them and have personally accepted them. What is interesting is how insignificant of a difference the multiple sexual orientations have between one another but defined as different types of preferences. The multitude of sexual orientations all acquire the same element, the attraction to another. Granted, sexual orientation is a person’s pattern of sexual attractions based only on gender ("Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity 101"). I questioned that if we removed gender from the equation could individuals look beyond a person’s preference and identify what qualities others may have in a person beside their

    Read More

  • Klein Sexual Orientation Grid Summary

    452 Words  | 1 Pages

    Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, developed by Dr. Fritz Klein, is the most recent method found in determining someone's sexual orientation. Klein realized that sexual orientation was a "dynamic, multi-variable" process. He concluded that an individual’s sexual orientation was made up of sexual and non-sexual variables that changed over time and with age. So he created a grid that made it a little bit easier to determine your own sexual orientation. Although many are modified, they almost always contain the same idea. For each person, it sets out seven component variables of sexual orientation. These variables are assessed at three different time periods, consisting of the person's past, their present, and their ideal future. The person then receives a rating from 1 to 7 for each of the 21 resulting combinations and then given a result.

    Read More

  • Jean Kilbourne Sexism Essay

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    While sex refers the biological characteristics that make up a person, their gender is determined by the behaviors and attitudes considered “proper” by society according to their sex.

    Read More

  • Born Gay: Truth and Circumstances.

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sexual orientation is a term used to describe a person’s physical, sexual, and romantic attraction to another person, whether they be Male or Female. The term is relatively new and the idea of having a homosexual identity has only been around for one-hundred years at the most (APA).

    Read More

  • Sexuality In Brazil Essay

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    The terms gender and sexuality are usually mistaken for one or the other. Gender refers to the social term that is given to a specific sex. Gender is typically considered female or male. The term sexuality refers to people’s sexual interest or desires to other people. Different types of sexuality are heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, and other types. Gender and sexuality are used for people to identify their sexuality, communication with others, and learn how to find a community of people that are alike.

    Read More

  • A Sexual Orientation Case Law Study

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    Congress passed and the President signed into law a provision outlawing private acts of discrimination based on sexual orientation. Called the Public Accommodations Equal Access Act, it forbids discriminations regarding sexual orientation in hotels, motels, restaurants, and eating establishments of all kinds as well as bars, barbershops, gas stations, and entertainment establishments. Congress relied on the commerce clause to justify the law.

    Read More

  • Homosexuality: A Public Issue?

    1811 Words  | 4 Pages

    Richard Mohr believes that outing closeted homosexuals is morally justified. He argues that sexual orientation is not a private matter and therefore, does not violate a homosexual's right to privacy. He believes that outing will increase the homosexual community by creating positive role models. He argues that remaining in the closet is morally debasing and creates indignity to one's self. Claudia Card on the other hand, argues almost the complete opposite. She takes a utilitarian stance on outing "the big secret." The big secret is referring to one being a homosexual. She believes that outing is justified as long as it does no harm, which she believes is unlikely.

    Read More

  • West And Zimmerman's Doing Gender

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people relate sex, gender, and your sexual orientation as the same thing grouped in two categories of male or female traits and preference, however as both authors argue it is imperative to view each as a separate and ever changing category in order to protect peoples beliefs who contradict the earlier statement. “Educating legislators and policymakers about the damage inflicted by sexism and gender stereotyping is a critical component of winning

    Read More

  • Transgender Identity Essay

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is a common misconception that gender, sex, and sexuality are linked. In reality, sex refers to biology, whether a person was born with male or female chromosomes and genitalia,

    Read More

  • Homosexuality And Homosexuality

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    Homosexuality can be described as a romantic or sexual attraction or act between people of the same gender, and it can also be a term used to refer to a person's sense of identity based on the same attractions or behaviors. Homosexuality is among the three main categories of sexual orientation, alongside heterosexuality and bisexuality, and up to the present day, the scientists have not been able to know the factors that determine the sexual orientation of different people. Some of them, however, guess that sexual orientation of different people is caused by a complex interplay of the hormonal, genetic and environmental influences, and it is not a choice for the people concerned.

    Read More

  • Summary: Biological Influences On Sexual Orientation

    660 Words  | 2 Pages

    The term sexual orientation is known as the preference of one’s sexual partners, whether the same sex, opposite sex, or both sexes. Sexual orientation occurs when a child reaches the adolescent stages in life (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Adolescents activate their sexual orientation within four steps that create their identity. Adolescents are unaware of their identity at the beginning stages of sexual orientation. They work their way into the exploration stage by learning their preference of sexual partners. Once they are aware of their sexual identity, they will start the process of acceptance. Once acceptance is achieved, they will begin to integrate their sexual orientation into their lives (Gallor & Fassinger, 2010).

    Read More

  • Sexual Differentiation and its Effects on Sexual Orientation

    1579 Words  | 4 Pages

    What controls a human's sexual orientation? The long-standing debate of nature versus nurture can be extended to explaining human sexual orientation. Is it biological or environmental? The biological explanation has been gaining popularity amongst the scientific community although it is only based on speculations. It is argued that sexual orientation is linked to factors that occur during sexual differentiation. The prenatal exposure to androgens and their affect on the development of the human brain play a pivotal role in sexual orientation (2). Heredity is also part of the debate. Does biology merely provide the slate of neural circuitry upon which sexual orientation is inscribed? Do biological factors directly wire the brain so that it will support a particular orientation? Or do biological factors influence sexual orientation only indirectly?

    Read More

  • The Social Construction Of Gender

    1833 Words  | 4 Pages

    The terms sex, gender and sexuality relate with one another, however, sociologists had to distinguish these terms because it has it’s own individual meaning. Sex is the biological identity of a person when they are first born, like being a male or female. Gender is the socially learned behaviors and expectations associated with men and women like being masculine or feminine. Gender can differentiate like being a man, woman, transgender, intersex, etcetera. Sexuality refers to desire, sexual preference, and sexual identity and behavior (1). Sexuality can differentiate as well like being homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, etcetera. Like all social identities, gender is socially constructed. In the Social Construction of Gender, this theory shows

    Read More

  • Gender and Sexuality

    2683 Words  | 6 Pages

    Gender and sexuality can be comprehended through social science. Social science is “the study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society” (Free Dictionary, 2009). The study of social science deals with different aspects of society such as politics, economics, and the social aspects of society. Gender identity is closely interlinked with social science as it is based on the identity of an individual in the society. Sexuality is “the condition of being characterized and distinguished by sex” (Free Dictionary, 2009).

    Read More

  • Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

    3600 Words  | 8 Pages

    In order to discuss the biology of gender identity and sexual orientation, it is necessary to first examine the differences between multiple definitions that are often mistakenly interchanged: sex, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Sexual orientation is defined by LeVay (2011) as “the trait that predisposes us to experience sexual attraction to people of the same sex as ourselves, to persons of the other sex, or to both sexes” (p. 1). The typical categories of sexual orientation are homosexual, heterosexual and bisexual. Vrangalova and Savin-Williams (2012) found that most people identify as heterosexual, but there are also groups of people that identify as mostly heterosexual and mostly gay within the three traditional categories (p. 89). This is to say that there are not three concrete groups, but sexual orientation is a continuum and one can even fluctuate on it over time. LeVay (2011) also defines gender as “the ...

    Read More

More about Sexual Orientation Section Review

Open Document