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• Sexual orientation refers to an enduring emotional, romantic, sexual, or affectionate attraction to individuals of the same and/or opposite sex.
• Sexual orientation includes the following dimensions:
  – how the client identifies her- or himself;
  – to whom the client is attracted or with whom s/he desires to be romantically or sexually involved;
  – the client’s sexual behavior.
• Common sexual orientation identities are:
  – “Homosexual” refers to attraction to people of the same sex. Homosexual orientations are further separated by gender:
  –“Gay” is usually used for men who are homosexual. “Gay” is also sometimes used for homosexual women.
  –“Lesbian” is used for homosexual women.
  –“Bisexual” is used for people who are attracted to both men and women.
  –“Heterosexual” or “straight” is used for people who are attracted to members of the opposite sex.
• Sexual orientation should be thought of on a continuum, and clients may describe themselves in other ways (e.g., “queer” or “dyke”). It is best to ask the client how s/he prefers to be described.
• Estimates of same-gender sexual orientation range from 2% to 10% of the population.
• The degree to which the presenting problem is related to sexual orientation varies. Therefore, therapists should not make assumptions regarding the importance or relevance of sexual orientation to a client’s presenting concerns.

A client’s presenting problem may be closely related to issues of sexual orientation, so it is important to ask a client about her or his sexual and romantic identity, desires, and behaviors during an initial interview.

On the other hand, LGBT-identified clients may present for reasons that have little or nothing to do with their sexual orientation.

 In such cases, however, it may still be important to acknowledge that presenting issues can still be indirectly impacted by their sexual orientation identity.

• Sexual orientation refers to an enduring emotional, romantic, sexual, or affectionate attraction to individuals of the same and/or opposite sex.
• Sexual orientation includes the following dimensions:
  – how the client identifies her- or himself;
  – to whom the client is attracted or with whom s/he desires to be romantically or sexually involved;
  – the client’s sexual behavior.
• Common sexual orientation identities are:
  – “Homosexual” refers to attraction to people of the same sex. Homosexual orientations are further separated by gender:
  –“Gay” is usually used for men who are homosexual. “Gay” is also sometimes used for homosexual women.
  –“Lesbian” is used for homosexual women.
  –“Bisexual” is used for people who are attracted to both men and women.
  –“Heterosexual” or “straight” is used for people who are attracted to members of the opposite sex.
• Sexual orientation should be thought of on a continuum, and clients may describe themselves in other ways (e.g., “queer” or “dyke”). It is best to ask the client how s/he prefers to be described.
• Estimates of same-gender sexual orientation range from 2% to 10% of the population.
• The degree to which the presenting problem is related to sexual orientation varies. Therefore, therapists should not make assumptions regarding the importance or relevance of sexual orientation to a client’s presenting concerns.

A client’s presenting problem may be closely related to issues of sexual orientation, so it is important to ask a client about her or his sexual and romantic identity, desires, and behaviors during an initial interview.

On the other hand, LGBT-identified clients may present for reasons that have little or nothing to do with their sexual orientation. In such cases, however, it may still be important to acknowledge that presenting issues can still be indirectly impacted by their sexual orientation identity.

Bisexuality is a term used to describe a sexual orientation in which people are emotionally and sexually attracted to individuals of more than one gender. 

The “bi” (meaning both) in bisexual does not describe attraction to only two genders (male and female), as some may believe, but describes a state of attraction to both those of one’s own gender and those of another or multiple gender(s).

Attraction toward individuals of any gender may sometimes be referred to as pansexuality, but whether an individual chooses to identify as bisexual or pansexual is generally a matter of personal preference.

Sexual orientation can be described as the pattern of one’s romantic or sexual attraction to others—of the same gender, more than one gender, or none at all. Some people who identify as bisexual may be attracted to those who are male or female, while others may be attracted to any person, no matter that person’s gender.

The term pansexual is often used as by those who wish to describe their sexual orientation as being unhampered by limitations of gender.

 A person who identifies as bisexual may still experience attraction that is similarly unlimited, but some may experience limits to their attraction. In either case, a person may choose to identify as bisexual as a matter of preference, and some may use the terms "bisexual" and "pansexual" interchangeably. 

A person who is attracted to individuals of more than one gender or who engages in sexual behavior that may appear to indicate bisexuality will not necessarily identify as "bisexual" or "pansexual" and may instead prefer some other identifier or none at all.

Individuals who identify as bisexual are not necessarily attracted to men and women equally and will generally experience sexual attraction in a wide variety of ways. 

A woman who is bisexual, for example, may be predominantly attracted to women and pursue women as romantic partners but still experience attraction and sexual desire for men. A man who identifies as bisexual may experience attraction for individuals of all genders but choose to marry a woman and remain in that monogamous relationship throughout his life.

Some people who identify as bisexual may wish to pursue non-monogamous relationships with a variety of individuals, but simply identifying as bisexual does not indicate that a person is non-monogamous.  

The complexities of romantic, sexual, and emotional attraction are difficult to define and no one example can sum up what it means to be bisexual.

The above examples are only a few hypothetical descriptions of some possible experiences, and they are not meant to simplify bisexuality. The complexities of romantic, sexual, and emotional attraction are difficult to define, and no one example can sum up what it means to be bisexual. 

In general, the main distinction between bisexuality and other sexual orientations is that bisexual individuals have the potential for sexual attraction toward more than one gender, and though individuals who are bisexual may be attracted to all genders, some may experience limits to their attraction.

According to a study conducted by The Williams Institute in 2011, approximately 3.5% of the population of the United States identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. When those who engage in homosexual sexual behavior but do not identify as LGB are included in this number, the percentage increases to 8.2% of the population. Just over half of the study’s LGBT population (3.5%) described themselves as bisexual (1.8%), and women made up the majority of those who identified as bisexual.

The existence of bisexuality has been documented since ancient times. Bisexuality is a recurring theme in Greek mythology, and historic records show that it was common for young men to have sexual relationships with older men. These relationships were believed to both prepare men for marriage and lead to improved performance in battle; thus, these relationships were often encouraged.

In ancient Rome, sexuality was not necessarily divided into heterosexuality and homosexuality. It was common for men to have sexual relationships with both men and women, but sex was often used to communicate power and status, rather than love.

Although it is evident that bisexuality is a natural aspect of human sexuality, much of history has seemingly whitewashed its existence, it was not until modern times that the term was defined and discussed. 

In 1892, neurologist Charles Gilbert Chaddock coined the term bisexual in his translation of Psychopathia Sexualis. For nearly a century afterward, however, bisexuality was still seen as a mental health issue, and many laws prohibited bisexual relations. It was 1973 before bisexuality was declassified as a disorder in the mental health field. Prior to that, people identifying as bisexual were often “treated” with things like electroshock therapy, medication, and even castration, in an attempt to convert them to heterosexuality.

The shift truly began in 1948 when behavioral scientist Alfred Kinsey presented his research along with the Kinsey Scale. Kinsey proposed that sexuality and sexual attraction were not housed neatly in two polarized, binary boxes. Instead, he found that sexual orientation fell along a spectrum or continuum, with 0 denoting complete heterosexuality and 6 indicating homosexuality. In his study, most people fell somewhere in the middle of the continuum.

This discovery, which served to give those identifying as bisexual a new voice, was met with scandal, outrage, and fear. Over the next few decades, a growing community of LGBTQIA activists began to work to achieve recognition, fair treatment, and equal rights. 

Today, federal legislation exists to protect the rights of these often-marginalized groups, and in general, the United States has come a long way from the early days of intolerance, maltreatment, and persecution of the LGBTQIA population.

 However, discrimination and prejudice is still experienced by many who belong to this community, sometimes from within the community itself.

 Transgender hormone therapy, also sometimes called cross-sex hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy in which sex hormones and other hormonal medications are administered to transgender or gender nonconforming individuals for the purpose of more closely aligning their secondary sexual characteristics with their ... 

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