Sexual orientations

Sexual orientations

What is sexual orientation ?

Sexual orientation, also called desire orientation or sexual preferences, speaks of the erotic and/or emotional attraction that people feel (or do not feel) towards other people.

Sexual orientation is not determined by the sexual practices you like to perform, since any practice can be performed by anyone of any sexual orientation, but rather it is traditionally defined by the identity of the people towards whom you feel desire.

• Heterosexuality: sexual orientation of those people who feel physical, sexual and/or emotional attraction to people of a gender different from their own.
• Homosexuality: sexual orientation of those people who feel physical, sexual and/or emotional attraction to people of the same gender. Men who are attracted to men also call themselves gay men and women who are attracted to women, lesbian women or dykes.
• Bisexuality: sexual orientation of those people who feel physical, sexual and/or emotional attraction to people of their gender and any other. The term “bisexual” was born at a historical moment in which only two genders (men and women) were considered, hence the name “ bi ( two)-sexual”. However, today the bisexual group, although it continues to be named that way for reasons of identity and political activism, is aware that there are not only two genders and, in fact, this is what they try to state in the definition.
• Pansexuality : sexual orientation of those people who feel physical, sexual and/or emotional attraction to anyone regardless of their gender or sex.
• Asexuality : people who do not feel physical, sexual and/or emotional attraction to any person or, at least, not in all circumstances. In reality, there is more talk about people who feel they are on the asexual spectrum in order to refer to the difference and complexity of realities that asexual people experience.
• Demisexuality : sexual orientation that can be framed within the asexual spectrum and that characterizes people who only feel physical, sexual and/or emotional attraction to people with whom they already have a bond or connection.