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What is sexuality?

Sexuality is diverse and personal to each individual. Some of the terms used to describe the different types of sexuality include:

  • sexual orientation – a person’s attraction (emotional, physical and psychological) to another person and includes feelings, behaviour and identity;
  • heterosexual – a person who is attracted to someone of the opposite sex;
  • gay man – a man who is attracted to other men;
  • lesbian woman – a woman who is attracted to other women;
  • bisexual - a person who is attracted to both sexes not necessarily in equal proportions and not necessarily at the same time;
  • MSM – men who have sex with men;
  • gender identity – a sense of being male or female, the gender you identify with and your gender expression. It is not about who you are attracted to which is sexual orientation;
  • transgender –  an umbrella term describing persons whose gender identities, expressions or behaviours are not those traditionally associated with their birth sex.

There are a number of websites that can provide more information, these include:

Cara-Friend

Here

The Rainbow Project

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