SEXUALITY

Sexuality is not about who you have sex with, or how often you have it.
Sexuality is about your sexual feelings, thoughts, attractions and behaviours
towards other people. You can find other people physically, sexually or
emotionally attractive, and all those things are a part of your sexuality.

Heterosexual and homosexual

Most people are attracted to the opposite sex – boys who like girls, and
women who like men, for example. These people are heterosexual, or ‘straight’.

Some people are attracted to the same sex. These people are homosexual.
Around 10 per cent of young Australians experience same-sex attraction, most
during puberty.

‘Lesbian’ is the common term for people who identify as women and are
same-sex attracted. ‘Gay’ is the most common term for people who identify as
men and are same-sex attracted, although women identifying as lesbian also
sometimes use this word.

Women usually question whether they are heterosexual ('straight') or

lesbian (same-sex attracted) when they realise they are feeling attracted to other
women. Lesbians usually say their main physical, emotional and sexual feelings
are for women. Many women report they have lesbian experiences or feelings,
but do not think of themselves as lesbians or gay.
Many men report that they had experiences with people of the same sex when they were
young. This is often a normal part of exploring their sexuality. Men who go on to describe
themselves as ‘same-sex attracted’ or ‘gay’ have a strong physical and emotional attraction to
men that they don’t usually feel for women.

Bisexual

Sexuality can be more complicated than being straight or gay. Some people
are attracted to both men and women, and are known as bisexual.
 Bisexual does not mean the attraction is evenly weighted – a person may
have stronger feelings for one gender than another. And this can vary depending
on who they meet.

There are different kinds of bisexuality. Some people who are attracted to
men and women still consider themselves to be mainly straight or gay. Or they
might have sexual feelings towards both genders but only have intercourse with
one.

Other people see sexual attraction as more grey than black and white.
These people find everyday labels too rigid. Some prefer to identify as ‘queer’.
And others use the term ‘pan’, or ‘pansexual’, to show they are attracted to
different kinds of people no matter what their gender, identity or expression.

There are many differences between individuals, so bisexuality is a general

term only. You can read more about it at the Better Health Channel’s page on
bisexuality.

Bisexuality is when a person finds both men and women physically, sexually
or emotionally attractive. Bisexuality is a general term only, because there are
many differences between individuals. For example, people who are attracted to
men and women may not necessarily label themselves as bisexual – they may
consider themselves to be primarily straight or gay, or they may choose not to
adopt any label to describe their sexuality. In other cases, a person may have
sexual feelings towards men and women, but only have sex with people from one
gender, or they may abstain from sex altogether. The attraction isn't always
evenly weighted, since a bisexual person may have stronger feelings towards one
gender than another. This can vary depending on the people they meet, since
sexual chemistry between individuals is complex and unpredictable.

Asexual

A person who identifies as asexual (‘ace’ for short) is someone who does
not experience, or experiences very little, sexual attraction.
 Asexuality is not a choice, like abstinence (where someone chooses not to
have sex with anyone, whether they are attracted to them or not). Asexuality is a
sexual orientation, like homosexuality or heterosexuality.

Some people may strongly identify with being asexual, except for a few
infrequent experiences of sexual attraction (grey-asexuality). Some people feel
sexual attraction only after they develop a strong emotional bond with someone
(this is known as demisexuality). Other people experience asexuality in a range of
other ways.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/Sexuality-
explained

Sexuality is the sexual feelings or emotions (or lack there of) towards other
people

Heterosexual – attracted to the opposite sex

Homosexual – attracted to the same sex or gender

Bisexual – attracted to both males and females, or to more than one sex or
gender

Lithsexual – attracted to anyone, but does not expect to have the feelings
reciprocated

Pansexual – attracted to anyone regardless to their gender or sex

Auto-sexual – does not experience sexual attraction to anyone

Asexual – lack of sexual attraction towards others

Demisexual – does not experience sexual attraction to another person

unless or until they have formed an emotional connection with that person

Skoliosexual – attracted to transgenders

GENDER ISSUES

SEX EDUCATION

Sex education helps people gain the information, skills and motivation to
make healthy decisions about sex and sexuality. Planned Parenthood is the
nation’s largest provider of sex education, reaching 1.5 million people a year.

Sex education is high quality teaching and learning about a broad variety of
topics related to sex and sexuality, exploring values and beliefs about those topics
and gaining the skills that are needed to navigate relationships and manage one’s
own sexual health. Sex education may take place in schools, in community
settings, or online. Planned Parenthood believes that parents play a critical and
central role in providing sex education.

Comprehensive sexuality education refers to K-12 programs that cover a

broad range of topics related to:

Human Development (including reproduction, puberty, sexual orientation,

and gender identity)

Relationships (including families, friendships, romantic relationships and

dating)

Personal Skills (including communication, negotiation, and decision-making)

Sexual Behavior (including abstinence and sexuality throughout life)

Sexual Health (including sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, and

pregnancy)

Society and Culture (including gender roles, diversity, and sexuality in the
media)

Sex education is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality,

including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual
activity, sexual reproduction, age of consent, reproductive health, reproductive
rights, safe sex, birth control and sexual abstinence.
 Sex education is primarily taught to prevent students from future
encounters with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies,
something that many high school students and even higher ed students can face
in their school years, making it an important part of a student's education.

Yes, sex education is necessary in schools because:

(i)At school level, children from age group 12 and above should be
counselled about reproductive system, processes and practices and importance of
safe and responsible sex.

(ii)They should know about sex-related issues and problems like

adolescence changes, menstrual cycle, menstrual problems, unwanted pregnancy,
unsafe abortion, reproductive tract infections, STDs and cancers.

(iii)They should know about body changes during their age and should be
taught about healthy habits including personal cleanliness and hygiene.

(iv)Students should become a part of such education, system so that they

overcome hesitation and gain confidence to discuss any query with their teachers
or parents.

(v)Counselling and awareness regarding reproductive organs, safe and

hygienic sexual practices will play an important role in making people
reproductively healthy.