OCAMPO, ENGELUZ A. BSE-ENGLISH 2A
In 1923, the term “heterosexuality” made its debut
TYPES OF SEXUALITY
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines sexual orientation as
such: "Sexual orientation is an enduring emotional, romantic, sexual, or
affectional attraction that a person feels toward another person. Sexual
orientation falls along a continuum. In other words, someone does not have
to be exclusively homosexual or heterosexual but can feel varying degrees
of attraction for both genders. Sexual orientation develops across a person's
lifetime—different people realize at different points in their lives that they are
heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual."
The APA goes on to say that sexual behavior is not the same as sexual
orientation. Certainly, gay individuals can engage in heterosexual sex. In
fact, many do before they come out. In the 1950s, Alfred Kinsey determined
that most individuals are not exclusively homosexual or heterosexual.
Rather, most fall somewhere in between the two.
Scientists do not know the exact cause of sexual orientation, but they
theorize that it is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal,
and environmental influences, and do not view it as a choice. Although no
single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread
support, scientists favor biologically-based theories. There is considerably
more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation
than social ones, especially for males.
HETEROSEXUAL
The term “heterosexuality” comes from the Greek affix “hetero,” meaning
“different” or “other.” Heterosexuality is a sexual orientation in which a person
is sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex. People who identify as
heterosexual have emotional, sexual, and romantic relationships with people
of the opposite sex. A common term for a person who identifies as
heterosexual is “straight.”
History
The term “heterosexual” was first used in the 19th century, as a part of a
larger taxonomy of sexuality. This term was used almost exclusively within
the medical field. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the term
“heterosexual” came to be associated with a perverse sexual attraction
toward the opposite sex.
in the general public in Merriam Webster’s New International Dictionary,
meaning “morbid sexual passion for one of the opposite sex”. Gradually, the
meaning of the term began to change, until its dictionary definition was
changed to a “manifestation of sexual passion for one of the opposite sex;
normal sexuality” in 1934.
Though “heterosexual” originally referred exclusively to sexual attraction, it
now refers to sexual and/or romantic (non-sexual) attraction. Before the term
“heterosexual” (or “homosexual”) existed, society did not have rigid
categories for sexual identity like we do today. Opposite-sex people often
engaged in sex for reasons outside of sexual attraction or desire. Opposite-
sex partnerships were often arranged for economic purposes, rather than
love or romance.
Heterosexual Culture
In societies all over the world, heterosexual couples are represented as the
dominant (and sometimes only) cultural sexuality. In western culture,
heterosexuality is nearly omnipresent in a variety of cultural institutions. In
the United States, governmental policy, TV, movies, and popular literature,
and schools assume that its constituents are heterosexual. Thus, people, by
default, are assumed to be heterosexual and are treated as such. This
misidentification can be detrimental to non-heterosexual people. From early
childhood, people are surrounded by representations of heterosexual
relationships and are taught that those relationships are the norm. Often,
people who are not heterosexual feel that they are surrounded by only
heterosexual people, which can make them feel isolated and confused.
Heterosexual Privilege
There are countless examples of heterosexual privilege in today’s society;
the following represents only a few of them:
1. A heterosexual person never has to “come out.”
2. A heterosexual person has always had the right to marry.
3. Heterosexuals have never been the victim of violence due to their
sexual orientation.
4. Heterosexuals do not have to justify their sexual orientation to
anyone.
5. Heterosexuals usually do not fear institutional persecution because
of their sexual orientation.
Identifying as heterosexual in a vastly heteronormative society carries
privileges that are not afforded to those of other sexual orientations. Those
who are heterosexual should attempt to recognize the privilege they have
and the hardships that those of homosexual or bisexual orientation have to
face.
HOMOSEXUAL
Homosexuality (from the Greek affix “homo,” meaning “same”) is a sexual
orientation in which a person, male or female, is sexually attracted to people
of the same sex. People who identify as homosexual may have emotional,
sexual, and romantic relationships with people of the same sex. Typically, a
homosexual male identifies as “gay”, and a homosexual female identifies as
“lesbian” or a “gay woman.”
When discussing a person’s sexuality it is typically best to refer to someone
who identifies as homosexual as either gay or lesbian. These colloquial
terms are considered appropriate and respectful when speaking casually.
The words “gay” and “lesbian” should only be used to describe a person who
identifies as such. The word “gay” should never be used negatively, as this
use of language only further contributes to the continued stigma that gay and
lesbian people face.
History
Societal attitudes towards same-sex relationships have varied over time and
place, from requiring all males to engage in same-sex relationships, to casual
integration, through acceptance, to seeing the practice as a minor sin,
repressing it through law enforcement and judicial mechanisms, and to
proscribing it under penalty of death. In a 1976 study, Gwen Broude and
Sarah Greene compared attitudes towards and frequency of homosexuality
in the ethnographic studies available in the Standard cross-cultural sample.
They found that out of 42 communities: homosexuality was accepted or
ignored in 9; 5 communities had no concept of homosexuality; 11 considered
it undesirable but did not set punishments; and 17 strongly disapproved and
punished. Of 70 communities, homosexuality was reported to be absent or
rare in frequency in 41, and present or not uncommon in 29.
It was accepted in some forms in ancient Greece. However, in later cultures
influenced by Abrahamic religions, the law and the church established
sodomy as a transgression against divine law or a crime against nature.
A common thread of constructionist argument is that no one in antiquity or
the Middle Ages experienced homosexuality as an exclusive, permanent, or
defining mode of sexuality. John Boswell has countered this argument by
citing ancient Greek writings by Plato, which describe individuals exhibiting
exclusive homosexuality.
Lesbian and gay people have been fighting for their rights throughout the
twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In July of 2015, same-sex couples in the
United States finally won the right to marry. Same-sex couples have the right
to marry in twenty-two other countries. However, even same-sex activity (let
alone same-sex marriage) is still very much criminalized in many countries.
Misconceptions
The following are some of the common misconceptions and corresponding
facts about gay and lesbian people.
1. Gay people can be turned straight if they pray hard enough.
2. Homosexuality is an illness or disorder.
3. Gay men and lesbian women have more sexual partners than
heterosexuals.
4. You can spot a gay man or lesbian women by the way they act and
dress.
5. Gay people are not good parents because they will introduce their
children to their “lifestyle” and their children will grow up to be gay.
6. Being gay leads to contracting HIV or AIDS.
7. Gay men and lesbian women are attracted to everybody of the same
sex.
8. Lesbians seek out same-sex relationships only after having bad
experiences with men.
9. We know what causes sexual orientation.
Overall, gay and lesbian people deserve to be treated just like everyone else.
They come in all shapes and sizes, and their identities (like everyone else’s)
should be regarded with respect.
BISEXUAL
Bisexuality is an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and possible
sexual attraction to both sexes. This attraction can vary between men and
women, or it can be predominately one over the other.
Bisexuality can be described by what is known as the Kinsey Scale. Briefly,
the Kinsey Scale is a range along a continuum of sexual experience.
Simply speaking, those who rate themselves as a 0 or 1 on this scale are
exclusively heterosexual, while those at 6 or 7 are exclusively homosexual.
Everything from 2 to 5 could be considered bisexual, with a preference for
someone of the same sex or the opposite sex. This makes bisexuality a little
more difficult to pin down due to its lack of exclusivity.
 Many bisexuals feel the person is more important than what type of
genitalia they have
The Definition of Bisexual Can Mean Not Fitting In
A big complaint of bisexual people is that they feel that they can't fit
anywhere.

 Gay or lesbian people feel that bisexuals are "not really gay" or that
they are really gay or lesbian "in denial"
 Heterosexual people may reject bisexuals due to homophobic stigma
 Heterosexual women may reject a bisexual man out of misguided
fears of HIV and AIDS
 Lesbians distrust bisexual women for betraying their allegiance to
women and feminism
Bisexuals then, tend to feel isolated and confused and they lack the
proper support from either side.

Some characteristics of a bisexual person:

 The person is comfortable having romantic and/or sexual relations

with members of either sex
 Sometimes the attraction is stronger towards one sex, but the
attraction to both is still there
 The person may alternate between same-sex and opposite-sex
relationships
 They may have a steady heterosexual relationship along with an
occasional relationship with the same sex partner or vice-versa