Sexual Orientation

[Sapphira]

While I know this is a risky and controversial topic, I'm surprised this poll hasn't been done before. I do realize not everyone fits "neatly" into one category, and one's orientation and/or identification may change over time. If you're unfamiliar with any of the terms in the poll, Google is your friend.

Feel free to discuss anything related to sexual and/or romantic orientation here. Just keep it respectful, tactful, and kind.  Also, save the marriage/gay debate for the preexisting topic.

I personally identify as hetero-romantic ace. Depending on how you look at it, I guess that makes me both "straight" and "nothing" at the same time.

[The Chef]

Heterosexual all the way....unless you happen to be Chris Hemsworth. (' /// ' ;

[PaperLuigi]

I'm a heterosexual...nothing much to say about that, really. I've had four partners over the course of my life and they've all been women (yay me?).

I'm not completely turned off to the idea of becoming romantically or sexually interested in a male, I just don't see it happening. But you never know with the human body, I guess.

[Suffix]

I've been nearly reduced to an aromantic heterosexual, and I see no option for that!

EDIT: I suppose that would fall under "it's complicated." I was mostly kidding, anyway.

[Markio]

I'm gay.  Attracted to men, and I guess I've had emotional-romantic crushes on men, though I haven't really done anything.  I can still donate blood!

I met a friend in college who identified as a "pan-romantic lesbian."  While she was sexually attracted to women, she said she felt the capacity to fall in love romantically with a person without regards to their gender.  Her girlfriend is a transgender woman who so far hasn't undergone any transition, so she looks like a man still.

Another friend of mine eventually came out as a lesbian, attracted to women.  However, she identifies as "genderqueer," so her gender identity is about 60% female, 40% male (she's biologically female).  So for her, it's confusing to say she's a lesbian if she herself is not simply a "woman" attracted to women.  (Her parents are evangelical Christian, and when they found her online profile with a "queer" identification they began to tell their friends that they were disowning their daughter.  They stopped funding her college tuition, so she had to take out loans in her own name to avoid having them send her to a local private Christian college.  It was pretty upsetting, but she's been very adamant about taking care of herself despite her family's rejection).

[PaperLuigi]

when they found her online profile with a "queer" identification they began to tell their friends that they were disowning their daughter. 

That's awful. I have a friend who's mother used to beat her because she was a lesbian, although they've since settled their differences after my friend threatened to leave and never come back (she had already rented out a room at a friend's house). Guess her mom cared about her enough not to make her orientation an issue.

EDIT: Seeing as how this doesn't really have much to do with the marriage debate, I thought it was appropriate to respond to Markio's comment. Feel free to edit or delete my post if you think otherwise.

[BP]

Straight.

[Sapphira]

Heh, I tried not to go completely overboard with the list. I think I did a pretty good job covering a lot of orientations, though. :P

Her parents are evangelical Christian, and when they found her online profile with a "queer" identification they began to tell their friends that they were disowning their daughter.

It's stories like this that both sadden and infuriate me. Treating a fellow human being as such—especially one's own child, no less—is so horrible and un-Christlike.  It's no wonder people are repelled and disillusioned by the notion Christianity, when so many so-called Christians are acting this way, completely counter to everything Jesus emphasized.

Anyway... I guess I'll share some of my story.

As far as "coming out" about my orientation, aside from a few internet friends, I've really only talked about it with my parents. They pretty much already knew I was ace, but just didn't know the term for it. I think most people who know me really well wouldn't be surprised by my orientation. Being hetero-romantic, though, I imagine I come across as heterosexual, if anything. Or possibly a celibate heterosexual. (I am indeed celibate, but I choose to be. Being that it's my "default mode," though, it's just not a "struggle" or "issue" or whatever for me.)

While my parents accept my orientation, I think part of them believes I just might be a "late bloomer" or something. While I suppose that's possible, or maybe I'm "repressed" or something, I'm in my mid-twenties; I think I would have experienced sexual attraction by now, especially considering I HAVE experienced romantic attraction. If I am indeed NOT ace, I have such incredibly low libido I might as well be.

[Lizard Dude]

Real question (no troll): Do "asexuals" masturbate?

[Suffix]

I think the answer that we're seeing here, is that they have no desire to, or have some sort of reason to avoid it.

[PaperLuigi]

Asexuals are such because they either a) have no sexual drive whatsoever or b) merely aren't sexually attracted to other people. Asexuals of the latter brand-for lack of a better term-do masturbate (according to my asexual friend in my school's GSA), just not with the aid of porn, pictures of models, etc. If they do look at porn for that purpose, they might be more interested in the clothing the actors are wearing. :P

Of course, I'm not doing the term justice; I'm just going by what I've heard and what good ol' Wikipedia says. Human sexuality is so freaking complex that even asexuality probably branches off into a bunch of subcategories. Or maybe it doesn't. I'm not an expert.

[Toad]

Straightjacket

[Sapphira]

LD: This is my understanding of the matter: Some do, some don't. (Given the subject matter, MATURE DISCUSSION WARNING.)

[Markio]

Wouldn't Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory be considered asexual?  I thought Amy Farrah-Fowler was ace as well, but she seems to be exhibiting more romantic and sexual curiosity as the series has progressed (or so I've heard, I don't really watch the show very often).

I used to think I might have been asexual when I was in 8th grade.  All the other guys were talking about how girls were "hot," and I didn't understand it.  I figured they were all just trying to act older by pretending to be interested in women... until I actually witnessed my friend full-on making out with a girl, on the lips, longer than a few moments!  I was so stunned that anyone would feel compelled to kiss a girl.

Meanwhile, I was looking at pictures of men online: fully clothed, and not in overtly sexual positions, so I didn't know I was experiencing sexual attraction to them.  I was really just terribly uninformed about sexual diversity, as I went to Catholic school this whole time and I didn't even consider it an option to be a guy attracted to other guys.

Then I got to college and realized that all the guys in my high school just hadn't been all that good looking.  Finally it was painfully obvious how sexually-attracted-to-men I was.  That took awhile to get used to.  I didn't even kiss a guy until I was 21.  In retrospect, I think it's hilarious how the Advice Dog meme originated in a thread I had made about not being sure about kissing girls.

[Sapphira]

I love that show! Yes, Sheldon is considered ace, though I would also say he's aromantic, as well. I haven't quite figured out Amy's deal; she strikes me as being a repressed bisexual becoming less and less repressed, but I'm not entirely sure.

Incidentally, my parents like to call me "Sheldon" because of our similarities. Then again, aside from similar orientations, I think I might also have mild Asperger's syndrome (which manifests itself differently in females, but nevertheless...), which Sheldon also clearly has.
...I guess I'm sort of like a female, way less socially impaired/naive, way less "extreme" version of Sheldon. Heh.