How do you know if you re gay or not
by Fred Penzel, PhD
This article was initially published in the Winter edition of the OCD Newsletter.
OCD, as we know, is largely about experiencing severe and unrelenting doubt. It can cause you to challenge even the most basic things about yourself – even your sexual orientation. A study published in the Journal of Sex Research found that among a group of college students, 84% reported the occurrence of sexual intrusive thoughts (Byers, et al. ). In order to have doubts about one’s sexual identity, a sufferer need not ever own had a homo- or heterosexual experience, or any type of sexual encounter at all. I own observed this symptom in young children, adolescents, and adults as well. Interestingly Swedo, et al., , set up that approximately 4% of children with OCD encounter obsessions concerned with forbidden aggressive or perverse sexual thoughts.
Although doubts about one’s own sexual identity might seem pretty straightforward as a symptom, there are actually a number of variations. The most clear form is where a sufferer experiences the reflection that they mig
List of LGBTQ+ terms
A
Abro (sexual and romantic)
A word used to explain people who have a fluid sexual and/or idealistic orientation which changes over time, or the course of their life. They may use different terms to describe themselves over time.
Ace
An umbrella term used specifically to describe a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of sexual attraction. This encompasses asexual people as well as those who identify as demisexual and grey-sexual. Ace people who experience love-related attraction or occasional sexual attraction might also leverage terms such as male lover, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their intimate or sexual attraction.
Ace and aro/ace and aro spectrum
Umbrella terms used to outline the wide group of people who experience a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of intimate and/or sexual attraction, including a lack of attraction. People who identify under these umbrella terms may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, asexual, ace,
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How Do I Know If I Am Gay? Signs You Are Gay
Particularly when young, some people may ask, "How do I know if I am gay?" if they have conflicting sexual feelings. When it comes down to it, there is no reliable "Am I Gay test", so the only way to know that you are male lover (definition of gay) is to look within yourself to decide your own thoughts and feelings towards others of the similar sex. You might also need to consider the possibility that you are neither gay nor straight and are bisexual or just curious.
There are also signs that you might be male lover to consider.
Signs You Are Gay
There is no one way that gay people act or glare – gay people are just as diverse as straight people. Just because you are a man who is effeminate or a woman who is boyish, that does not mean that you're necessarily gay. So don't fall into the trap of thinking that your clothes, hair or attitude determines your sexuality.
When looking at the signs you are gay, you might desire to ask yourself these questions:1
- Have I ever been sexually attracted to the same sex?
- Do I feel strong emotional bonds to