Sex, Sexuality and Gender

Facilitator’s summary:
• zIt is important to point out that the differences in what people do with a partner,
is much bigger on an individual level than between different people of different
sexual orientations. For example, it is not all gay couples that practice anal sex
and yet some heterosexual couples do.
• zThere are more similarities in these couples than differences in terms of the different
types of sex that they practice. The only type of sex that gay men do not
practice is vaginal sex because they do not have a vagina.
• zExplain that regardless of where we place ourselves on the identity continuum we
can try different activities, because we are curious to experiment and to find out
about what we really like.
• zWe can try different activities and practice same-sex sexual activities without
identifying ourselves as lesbian or gay.
• zPeople throughout the world and history have been practising same sex and opposite
sex activities.
• zThe words homosexuality, bisexuality and heterosexuality are invented words
that people started using about 100-150 years ago. Words are sometimes problematic,
as they do not capture all the diversity of human sexual activities.
• zAll our sacred texts or holy books predate the invention of these words. References
to homosexuality, as an example, in any sacred text is therefore imposed by
a later translation.
• zIt is important to respect people’s identity and not to judge people based on what
is considered “normal” or “abnormal”. All people irrespective of their sexual idenity/orientation
have feelings and preferences.
• zSexuality is an integrated part of our identity. Everyone has the right to his or her
own identity. It is important to note that some people are asexual, which means
they do not have any sexual feelings. But these people can fall in love, and do
enjoy some sort of intimacy and closeness.
• zThe stigma and discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, and intersex
people often forces people to live a double life.This is risky behaviour in terms of
vulnerability to HIV infection and can cause mental damage for the individuals
concerned.
© INERELA 2012
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