What is sexuality?
Sexuality is intricately linked to your personal experience and feelings. The term encompasses many aspects and there is no one unified definition.
Sexuality includes:
- how a person self identifies
- the way one experiences (if at all) sexual and/or romantic attraction
- towards whom the person experiences attraction
- preferences or interests around sexual and/or romantic behaviours or relationships
Sexuality is fluid and can change throughout your lifetime as it is affected by many factors. The World Health Organisation (WHO) lists biological, psychological, social, economic, political, cultural, legal, historical, religious and spiritual factors as influences on identity. Sexuality is best understood on a spectrum rather than in categories. Most aspects of sexuality are not mutually exclusive and often change depending on the context in which you experience any attraction.
Sexuality can be expressed in various forms inlcuding thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviours, practices, roles and relationships (WHO, 2006). Not all of those are always experienced by each person.