Orientation

Sexual orientation describes the lasting pattern of who a person is drawn to romantically, emotionally, and sexually. Common labels include straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and asexual, among many others. Major medical and psychological bodies understand orientation as a natural part of who someone is, not a choice, and not something that can or should be changed through so-called conversion efforts. Contemporary thinking recognizes that romantic attraction and sexual attraction can differ within the same person, and that orientation often sits along a spectrum rather than in fixed boxes. It is distinct from gender identity, which is about a person's own sense of their gender.