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 | Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, religious liberals, therapists, human sexuality
researchers generally define sexual orientation by feelings of affection and
sexual attraction. Most agree that sexual orientation includes only three types
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| Most religious conservatives define "sexual orientation" in terms of behavior.-- what a person does. Some define the term very broadly to include as many as 30 types of paraphilias -- sexual impulse disorcers -- including incest, bestiality, necrophilia, sexual exhibitionism, etc. Since sexual behavior almost always occurs between two persons who are either of the same sex or opposite sex, religious conservatives have need of only two orientations. They often ignore the bisexual category. |
Needless to say, this difference in definition creates a great deal of confusion:
| Consider a person with homosexual feelings who decides to be celibate. Under the second definition, they would be considered to be ex-homosexual; under the first definition, they would be considered an celibate homosexual. |
| Consider a person with bisexual feelings who decides to only enter relationships with members of the opposite gender. Under the second definition, they would be considered an ex-homosexual; under the first definition, they would still be considered a bisexual. |
These two decisions are often used by religious and social conservatives as proof that homosexuals can "change."
This essay compares and contrasts different sets of meanings for "sexual orientation." Throughout the rest of this web site, we use the definitions used by the American Psychiatric Association, and all other major associations in the mental health field.
Topics discussed in this section:
Related essay:
| Meaning of the terms "homophobia" and "homophobic" |
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Site navigation: Home > "Hot" topics > Homosexuality > Basic data > here |
Copyright © 2007 & 2008 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Original posting: 2007-JUN-05
Latest update: 2008-AUG-17
Author: B.A. Robinson
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