Not gay but curious
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 doubt 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 directive to have doubts about one’s sexual identity, a sufferer deserve not ever have had a homo- or heterosexual experience, or any type of sexual life at all. I have observed this symptom in young children, adolescents, and adults as well. Interestingly Swedo, et al., , establish that approximately 4% of children with OCD experience obsessions concerned with forbidden aggressive or perverse sexual thoughts.
Although doubts about one’s own sexual identity might come across pretty straightforward as a symptom, there are actually a number of variations. The most noticeable form is where a sufferer experiences the thought that they mig
7 Signs You Are Not Straight Even if it’s Later in Life
There is no timeline for self-discovery and no end to training. As we mature older, we can come to realize a wide variety of things about ourselves that we hadn’t realized before or that hold changed over period, often because we are growing more comfortable and confident as we age.
Sexuality is no exception. Sexuality can be a lifelong finding, and something that takes time to fully understand, particularly for women who realize they aren’t straight later in life. It can be confusing, especially as an mature person to be questioning your sexuality and wondering if all these years you somehow missed something big about yourself. You are not alone. Here are seven common signs that you may not be vertical, even if you discover and consent it later in life.
1. Straight girls don’t lie stir at night wondering if they are gay.
This may feel obvious, but people who aren’t attracted to the identical sex, don’t usually worry about whether or not they are gay or bisexual. They don’t even think about experiencin
Why do some straight men have sex with other men?
According to nationally-representative surveys in the United States, hundreds of thousands of straight-identified men have had sex with other men.
In the new book Still Straight: Sexual Flexibility among White Men in Rural America released today, UBC sociologist Dr. Tony Silva argues that these men – many of whom enjoy hunting, fishing and shooting guns – are not closeted, bisexual or just experimenting.
After interviewing 60 of these men over three years, Dr. Silva found that they like a range of relationships with other men, from hookups to sexual friendships to secretive loving partnerships, all while strongly spotting with straight culture.
We spoke with Dr. Silva about his book.
Why do straight-identified men have sex with other men?
The majority of the men I interviewed reported that they are primarily attracted to women, not men. Most of these men are also married to women and prefer to have sex with women. They explained that although they loved their wives, their marital sex lives were not as active as they
Am I Gay or Just Curious?
Sexuality is fluid and complicated. No matter how much society tries to fit people into tidy and compact labelled boxes, the truth is that things like sexual orientation are difficult to compartmentalize in this way. For some people, their sexual orientation is fixed and does not change during their lifetime. For others, this changes over period and is more flexible throughout the different stages of their life.
Are You Questioning Your Sexuality?
So, you are at a stage in your life where you are questioning your sexual orientation and wondering where you might fit on the spectrum of sexuality. You might be wondering if you are straight, bisexual, gay/lesbian or just curious. The most common period for one to start questioning their sexuality is during their teenage years. It is a normal process that occurs while growing up as we start creature exposed to people of the same and antonym sex.
Here is where many people start questioning who they are romantically and sexually attracted to. This is also an vital part of exploring one’s identi