Homosexual and bisexual orientation

Terminology related
to sexual orientation

Sponsored link.

The term "GLBT" is an acronym for "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
 Transgender/Transsexual. Sometimes, additional letters are
added: "Q" for Queer or questioning, "I" for Intersexual.

Terminology:

Terms like gay, lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, transsexual, same-sex marriage, gay marriage, etc. are difficult to discuss because:

	Different groups assign different meaning to these words.
	There is heavy emotional baggage associated with some terms, particularly when used by some groups.

The conservative Protestant community, in particular, often defines commonly used words very differently from the rest of the culture. This makes discussion, dialogue and debate essentially impossible.

Examples follow:

Terms: homosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual...

	Most human sexuality researchers, therapists, religious liberals, secularists, etc. consider "homosexual" to be an emotionally neutral term that refers to youths and adults who are sexually attracted only to members of the same gender. It is one of three morally neutral, normal, natural, and fixed sexual orientations among adults. Since a person's orientation is defined by their feelings, it is considered part of what they are, and is not necessarily defined by what they do. The other two sexual orientations are: Heterosexual: being attracted only to members of the opposite sex, and Bisexual: being attracted to both genders, not necessarily to the same degree.
	Many GLBT persons object to the term "homosexual" for two reasons: It has become a medicalized term that implies that a gay or lesbian is mentally ill. It has been intensely used as a snarl word by religious and social conservatives. Thus, they promote the terms gay and lesbian in place of homosexual. bisexual and heterosexual are still accepted. To some, the terms "gay" and "lesbian" imply that the person is also actively involved in political action. Sometimes "gay" refers only to male homosexuals; at other times, it also includes lesbians.
	Most religious and social conservatives define "homosexual" to be an individual who has sex with a person or persons of the same gender. They see it as immoral, abnormal, unnatural, unsafe, changeable behavior, hated by God. It is a very negative term -- often a snarl word.

On this site, we use the terms homosexual, gay, lesbian and bisexual interchangeably without implying any emotional baggage.

As a religious website, are running a bit of a risk, because some GLBT individuals and groups are so used to hearing "homosexual" used as a hate-filled snarl word by religious conservatives, that they may be inclined to reject any religious information source that uses the term. We hope that this will not be a problem with this site. We try to explain all viewpoints objectively, and use terms like "homosexual" because that is what researchers use.

Sponsored link:

Terms: Sexual orientation, sexual preference:

As noted above, "sexual orientation" defines to which gender(s) an adult is sexually attracted:

	Homosexuals are attracted only to members of their own gender, and often have a strong aversion towards having sex with the opposite sex.
	Bisexuals are attracted to both men and women, although not necessarily to the same degree.
	Heterosexuals are attracted only to members of the opposite gender, and often have a strong aversion towards having sex with the same sex.

Some have suggested that asexuality -- having no feelings of sexual attraction at all -- can be considered a fourth sexual orientation. Others suggest that asexuality is a lack of an orientation.

The term "sexual preference" is often used as a synonym for "sexual orientation." It is an accurate term when referring to many bisexuals who are attracted to persons of both genders but have a preference for one. The term is often used by religious and social conservatives to refer to homosexuals, because it implies that they merely have a preference -- not an exclusive attraction -- for persons of the same gender.

If gays and lesbians are viewed as:

	Only having a sexual preference, then it follows that they may be able to eventually develop a strong attraction to members of the opposite sex.
	Having a sexual orientation, then it follows that they are probably incapable of changing to develop sexual attraction to the opposite sex.

A novel fundamentalist Christian definition of sexual orientation:

Fundamentalist and other evangelical Christians often assign unique meanings to commonly used words. A few influential fundamentalist Christian groups have taken this to an extreme by broadened their own definition of "sexual orientation" far beyond the three that other groups recognize.

They combined:

	The three sexual orientations: heterosexuality, bisexuality & homosexuality;
	Two sexual identities, transsexuality and transgenderism;
	A large number of paraphilias; 10 and
	Some criminal acts like prostitution and incest.

They define the whole bunch of over 30 terms -- mostly behaviors -- to be sexual orientations. This causes mass confusion and makes dialogue essentially impossible.

More details.

Terms: Gay marriage, same-sex marriage, SSM, homosexual marriage, traditional marriage, pro-family, counterfeit marriage....

	Many news sources use "same-sex marriage" and "gay marriage" interchangeably.
	Religious and social conservatives generally use terms like "gay marriage" or "homosexual marriage." They often enclose the word "marriage" in quotation marks to indicate that they do not consider SSM to be a legitimate form of marriage. They often use "traditional marriage" to refer to marriage by an opposite-sex couple. "Pro-family" generally means that the group is supportive of families led by opposite-sex couples and opposed to families led by same-sex couples.
	Gay-positive groups generally use "same-sex marriage" and "marriage equality."

On this site, we generally use the terms "same-sex marriage" and the acronym SSM. We avoid "gay marriage" for the simple reason that it is not inclusive. It excludes those SSMs in which one or both spouses are bisexual, not homosexual.

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. National Freedom to Marry Day logos are available at: http://www.lambdalegal.org/
2. From the Family Research Council's Washington Update mailing list of 2003-OCT-8.
3. The Marriage Project, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. See: http://www.lambdalegal.org/ You need software to read these files. It can be obtained free from:
4. Raymond Miller, "United Church welcomes 'sinners'," The Toronto Star, letters to the editor, 2005-OCT-04.
5. "Marriage Protection Amendment," Episode 940, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, 2006-JUN-02, at: http://www.pbs.org/
6. Stanley M. Elkins, "Slavery: A Problem in American Institutional and Intellectual Life," University of Chicago Press, (1976). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
7. Anil Aggrawal, "Forensic and Medico-legal Aspects of Sexual Crimes and Unusual Sexual Practices," CRC Press. Pages 369-382
8. "List of paraphilias," Wikipedia, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/
9. "Paraphilia," Wikipedia, 2007-APR-18, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
10. Paraphilias are recurrent, intense sexual urges, fantasies, or behaviors which are so powerful that they cause the person major concern and adversely affect his or her life.

Site navigation:

Home > Homosexuality > here

Copyright © 2009 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2009-JUN-30
Author: B.A. Robinson

Sponsored link

Go to the previous page, or to the homosexuality menu, or choose:

Web ReligiousTolerance.org