Sexual Orientation
Learn about the different aspects of sexual orientation -- attraction, behavior and identity -- and the many ways people identify.
Dee
Who is Dee?
Hi! I’m here to help you learn about sexual orientation. At its core, sexual orientation is all about attraction — who you’re drawn to, romantically and sexually. Most of us understand what it means to be gay or straight, but what about bisexual, asexual and pansexual? This section breaks down all that and more. Let’s get started…
The Basics
Learn what sexual orientation really is and the terminology currently used.
It all starts with attraction
There are three aspects to sexual orientation--attraction, behavior, and identity.
It’s not just gay or straight
Sexual orientations are diverse and occur along a continuum.
Terms to know
Vocabulary can shift over time. If you’re curious about some terms you’ve heard, here are a few to start with.
Are women the same as men?
Researchers are learning a lot from studying women’s sexual orientations, including the possibility that some people’s sexual orientations are more fluid than others.
How did you know you were gay?
Watch as two young women have a lively conversation about coming to terms with their sexual identity.
Asexuality research
Learn what scholars are exploring about the spectrum of asexuality.
Real people
Hear from people with a variety of sexual orientations as they talk about the lives and relationships.
True love
Learn about the love stories behind landmark same-sex marriage rulings
“I married my sorority sister”
Laura and Sam met and fell in love in their college sorority. Now they are married and raising a family.
“It kinda threw me for a whammy.”
Deidra Robinson talks with her father about what happened to their once-close relationship when she told him she was gay.
"Do I have to call you Mommy?"
Before she passed away from AIDS-related illness, Corinithia Isom's mother asked her good friends Kathleen and April to love and care for her daughter after she was gone.
“I blamed myself”.
Samuel Taylor and his mother reflect on her struggles to come to terms with Samuel being gay.
"I knew I was home"
Would you invite someone you had just met to come home with you for Christmas? That's exactly what Seth Smiley-Humphries did.
“In those days you served in silence.”
Denny Meyer recalls what it was like to hide that he was gay while serving in the Navy.
"It was always love"
LGBTQ+ African Americans and their families tell their stories.
What understanding looks like
When the Kanijow family realized their son was gay, they didn’t disown him. They did this instead.
What it means to be asexual
What is it like to be asexual? It depends on who you ask.
“Everyone is different”
Meet a young asexual couple and hear about their relationship—“a modern-day love story with a bit of a twist.”
What makes a family?
What does family mean to you? That's the question posed to 2 same-sex couples and their young children.
Wives for life
Meet Gail and Audrey, two highly successful women who share a deep love for one another.
An appealing alternative
In the late 1800s, committed unions between two women—sometimes called Boston marriages--were socially acceptable. How was this possible more than a century before same-sex marriage was legalized?
Seeing is believing
"How can you believe in something you've never seen?" Janal Jordan makes LGBTQ+ love visible through the power his photography.
Things never to say to your gay friends
Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy and journalist Phillip Picardi share commonly asked questions that seem innocent but can actually be offensive and hurtful.
What not to say to kids with LGBTQ+ parents
Kids of LGBTQ+ parents receive a lot of questions, these are the ones to avoid.
Taking the field
Carl Nassib is the first active NFL player to come out as gay. Check out this video by NBC News to learn more about how and why Nassib came out.
Ms. America
Watch America Chavez, the first lesbian, Latina superhero in action.
Lessons learned
Teacher John Byrne shares his story of coming out to his students and what happened next.
Reclaiming history
Bayard Rustin was one of the most important leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement. So why have so few people heard of him?
The Stats
Learn about the demographics of sexual orientation.
Growing up with LGBTQ+ parents
What happens when children are raised by gay or lesbian parents? Find out what the research says.
Raised by same-sex couples
Discover what researchers have to say about how children of same-sex couples are doing in school.