Same-Sex Attraction (SSA)

Same-sex attraction, often shortened to SSA, describes romantic or sexual attraction to people of the same sex. The phrase is used most often in religious and conservative circles by people who experience this attraction but do not identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, sometimes because their faith leads them to choose celibacy or an opposite-sex marriage. The language was popularized by the Christian ex-gay movement, which framed attraction as separate from identity. Because SSA is closely tied to ex-gay ministries and conversion therapy, the term is controversial. Major medical and psychological organizations reject conversion therapy as ineffective and harmful, and many LGBTQ+ people find the framing distancing.