Sexual orientation

{{significantly problematic}}{{Sources needed}}{{sex}}{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Sexual identity]] or [[Gender identity]].}}
'''Sexual orientation''' refers to the direction an individual's [[sexuality]] takes, usually classified in relation to the [[sex]] or [[gender]] the individual is sexually attracted to.<ref>[https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq "Sexual orientation and gender diversity"]. ''American Psychological Association''. "Sexual orientation is an often enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both. It also refers to an individual’s sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions and behaviors."</ref> This is divided into four main categories of [[heterosexuality]], [[homosexuality]], [[bisexuality]], [[asexuality]].

==Medical opinion==
Medical science has not proven what factors influence sexual orientation; however, most agree that it is a complex combination ranging from a person's genetic code, the fetal environment, and the environment and experiences the child faces in the first 5-10 years of life.<ref>[http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/workinpsychiatry/specialinterestgroups/gaylesbian/submissiontothecofe/psychiatryandlgbpeople.aspx#history "Submission to the Church of England's Listening Exercise on Human Sexuality"]</ref><ref>Långström, N.; Rahman, Q.; Carlström, E.; Lichtenstein, P. (2008). "Genetic and Environmental Effects on Same-sex Sexual Behavior: A Population Study of Twins in Sweden". ''Archives of Sexual Behavior''. '''39''' (1): 75–80. doi:10.1007/s10508-008-9386-1</ref>

Most experts agree that sexual orientation is fixed, and there is a general consensus that it is fixed in most people by the time they are 6.{{fact}}

== Is it possible to alter one's sexual orientation? ==
As of 2020, the answer seems to be "no". A growing body of research shows that homosexuality is likely to have a biological origin, albeit psychologically mediated. Therefore, attempts to "cure" it with psychotherapy, [[reparative therapy]], [[primal therapy]], or other psychology-oriented approaches are usually unsuccessful, and such methods are mostly [[quack]]ery. 

However, according to the modern paradigm of [[neuroscience]], all human behavior is potentially reducible to brain states, so it may be theoretically possible to influence the functions that govern one's sexual orientation.<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/what-if-change-being-gay-325456 What if you could change being gay?]</ref> Should the epigenetic hypothesis have merit, it is possible that, somewhere in the future, maybe {{wpl|epigenetic therapy}} might be able to alter orientation.<ref group=note>Note extensive use of qualifiers. This kind of treatment is only in early studies for things like diabetic retinopathy and is not even broadly proven for treatment of any medical condition. Along with the still-speculative nature of the epigenetic cause of homosexuality, there's a lot of science to do between now and this hypothetical treatment.</ref>

==Evangelical opinion==
As numerous evangelicals will tell you, sexual orientation is a choice and anyone who chooses to be gay will roast on Satan's Special Sodomite Spit.

[[Reparative therapy|Reparative therapies]] that are designed to 'change' the icky types of sexual orientation have never been shown to actually work on changing the actual orientation, though they can fill a person with guilt or shame to such a great extent that he or she "[[Haggard's Law|chooses]]" to live as a so-called straight person.

==Identity and behavior==
Sexual orientation is not "[[sexual identity]]" — which is how one portrays oneself to the world. A person may be biologically bisexual, but may be in a heterosexual relationship. Someone who has undergone "reparative therapy" may claim to be straight, even if bathroom stall appearances might suggest otherwise.

Sexual orientation is also not "sexual behavior", which includes such concepts as [[BDSM|sadomasochism]], [[pedophilia]], or [[zoophilia]] — regardless of what the [[Religious Right]] claims regarding those whose sexual orientation is not the "approved" one.

Sexual orientation has nothing to do with men liking Broadway, or women disliking make-up. In fact, again despite claims generally coming from the agenda-driven "Right", you cannot tell another person's sexual orientation by their personality, their job choice, their creativity — as none of the stereotypes of what makes someone straight or gay have any rational backing. Even actions are not a true way to identify a person's sexual orientation, as a person may be closeted (gay, straight, or bi).

==See also==
{{otherlang
|es=Orientación sexual}}

==External links==
*[https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/what-is-sexual-orientation/ What is Sexual Orientation?], [[The Skeptics Society]]
*Edward Stein. [http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1930573 Précis of "The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory and Ethics of Sexual Orientation."] ''Law and Philosophy'', Vol. 21, pp. 305-316, 2002.
*[https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2019/ National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2019], The Trevor Project

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Sexuality]]

Categories: Sexuality