Editing Sexual identity (section)

==Definitions and identity ==
Sexual identity has been described as a component of an individual's identity that reflects their sexual self-concept. The integration of the respective identity components (e.g. moral, religious, ethnic, occupational) into a greater overall identity is essential to the process of developing the multi-dimensional construct of identity.<ref>Luyckx, K., Schwartz, S. J., Goossens, L., Beyers, W., & Missotten, L. (2011). Processes of personal identity formation and evaluation. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles(Eds), Handbook of identity theory and research (Vols 1 and 2) (pp.77-98). New York, NY: Springer Science + Business Media</ref>

Sexual identity can change throughout an individual's life, and may or may not align with biological sex, sexual behavior or actual sexual orientation.<ref>Sinclair, Karen, About Whoever: The Social Imprint on Identity and Orientation, NY, 2013 {{ISBN|9780981450513}}</ref><ref name="Rosario et al.">{{cite journal | last1 = Rosario | first1 = M. | last2 = Schrimshaw | first2 = E. | last3 = Hunter | first3 = J. | last4 = Braun | first4 = L. | year = 2006 | title = Sexual identity development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths: Consistency and change over time | journal = Journal of Sex Research | volume = 43 | issue = 1| pages = 46–58 | doi=10.1080/00224490609552298| pmid = 16817067 | pmc = 3215279}}</ref><ref name="Concordance/discordance in SO">{{cite journal|first=Michael W.
|last=Ross|author2=Essien, E. James |author3=Williams, Mark L. |author4= Fernandez-Esquer, Maria Eugenia. |title=Concordance Between Sexual Behavior and Sexual Identity in Street Outreach Samples of Four Racial/Ethnic Groups|publisher=American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association|year=2003|pmid=12567166|journal=Sexually Transmitted Diseases|volume=30|issue=2|pages=110–113|doi=10.1097/00007435-200302000-00003|s2cid=21881268}}</ref> In a 1990 study by the Social Organization of [[Sexuality]], only 16% of women and 36% of men who reported some level of [[Homosexuality|same-sex attraction]] had a homosexual or [[bisexual]] identity.<ref name=survey>{{cite book|title=The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States|last=Laumann|first=Edward O.|year=1994|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=72AHO0rE2HoC&q=the+social+organization+of+sexuality+1990&pg=PA4|pages=298–301|isbn=9780226470207}}</ref>

Sexual identity is more closely related to sexual behavior than sexual orientation is. The same survey found that 96% of women and 87% of men with a homosexual or bisexual identity had engaged in sexual activity with someone of the same sex, contrasted to 32% of women and 43% of men who had same-sex attractions. Upon reviewing the results, the organization commented: "Development of self-identification as homosexual or gay is a psychological and socially complex state, something which, in this [[society]], is achieved only over time, often with considerable personal struggle and self-doubt, not to mention social discomfort."<ref name=survey />

===Identities===
[[Zoosexuality]] describes a pattern of attraction to animals.

[[Heterosexuality]] describes a pattern of attraction to persons of the opposite sex.<ref name=apa>{{cite web|title=Sexual orientation, homosexuality and bisexuality|publisher=[[American Psychological Association]]|access-date=August 10, 2013|url=http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx|archive-date=August 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808032050/http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx}}</ref> The term ''straight'' is commonly used to refer to heterosexuals.<ref name=Bailey16>{{cite journal|last1=Bailey|first1=J. Michael|last2=Vasey|first2=Paul|last3=Diamond|first3=Lisa|last4=Breedlove|first4=S. Marc|last5=Vilain|first5=Eric|last6=Epprecht|first6=Marc|title=Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science|journal=Psychological Science in the Public Interest|date=2016|volume=17|issue=2|pages=45–101|doi=10.1177/1529100616637616|pmid=27113562|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301639075|doi-access=free}}</ref> Heterosexuals are by far the largest sexual identity group.<ref name=Bailey16/>

[[Bisexuality]] describes a pattern of attraction toward both males and females,<ref name=apa/> or to more than one sex or gender.<ref>{{cite web|title=Understanding Bisexuality|publisher=[[American Psychological Association]]|date=2019|access-date=March 8, 2019|url=https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/bisexual}}</ref> A bisexual identity does not necessarily equate to equal sexual attraction to both sexes; commonly, people who have a distinct but not exclusive sexual preference for one sex over the other also identify themselves as bisexual.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Rosario | first1 = M. | last2 = Schrimshaw | first2 = E. | last3 = Hunter | first3 = J. | last4 = Braun | first4 = L. | year = 2006 | title = Sexual identity development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths: Consistency and change over time | journal = Journal of Sex Research | volume = 43 | issue = 1| pages = 46–58 | doi=10.1080/00224490609552298| pmid = 16817067 | pmc = 3215279}}</ref>

[[Homosexuality]] describes a pattern of attraction to other persons of the same sex.<ref name=apa/> The term ''[[lesbian]]'' is commonly used to refer to homosexual women, and the term ''[[gay]]'' is commonly used to refer to homosexual men, although ''gay'' is sometimes used to refer to women as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glaad.org/files/MediaReferenceGuide2010.pdf|title=GLAAD Media Reference Guide|access-date=September 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112111339/http://www.glaad.org/files/MediaReferenceGuide2010.pdf|archive-date=November 12, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Asexuality]] is the lack of sexual attraction to others, or low or absent interest in or desire for sexual activity.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Robert L. Crooks |author2=Karla Baur|title=Our Sexuality|isbn=978-1305887428|publisher=[[Cengage Learning]]|year=2016|page=300|access-date=January 4, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=isIaCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT300}}</ref> It may also be categorized more widely to include a broad spectrum of [[Gray asexuality|asexual sub-identities]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Scherrer|first=Kristin|title=Coming to an Asexual Identity: Negotiating Identity, Negotiating Desire|journal=Sexualities|volume=11|issue=5|pages=621–641|doi=10.1177/1363460708094269|pmid=20593009|pmc=2893352|year=2008}}</ref> Asexuality is distinct from [[sexual abstinence|abstention from sexual activity]] and from [[celibacy]].<ref name="Halter">{{cite book|author=Margaret Jordan Halter |author2=Elizabeth M. Varcarolis|title=Varcarolis' Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing|isbn=978-1-4557-5358-1|publisher=[[Elsevier Health Sciences]]|year=2013|page=382|access-date=May 7, 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mZ15AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA382}}</ref><ref name="DePaulo">{{cite magazine|first=Bella|last=DePaulo|title=ASEXUALS: Who Are They and Why Are They Important?|magazine=[[Psychology Today]]|date=September 26, 2011|access-date=December 13, 2011|url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-single/200912/asexuals-who-are-they-and-why-are-they-important}}</ref>

[[Pansexuality]] describes attraction towards people regardless of their sex or [[gender identity]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Mental health issues in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities |last1=Hill |first1=Marjorie J. |last2=Jones |first2=Billy E. |year=2002 |publisher=American Psychiatric Pub |isbn=978-1-58562-069-2 |page=95 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0NxXRsIfcpgC |access-date=February 28, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor=Marshall Cavendish|title=Sex and Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YtsxeWE7VD0C&pg=PA593 |access-date=July 28, 2013|volume=2|year=2010|publisher=[[Marshall Cavendish]]|isbn=978-0-7614-7907-9|page=593}}</ref> Pansexual people may refer to themselves as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are not determining factors in their romantic or sexual attraction to others.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Diamond | first1 = Lisa M. | last2 = Butterworth | first2 = Molly | title = Questioning gender and sexual identity: dynamic links over time | journal = [[Sex Roles (journal)|Sex Roles]] | volume = 59 | issue = 5&ndash;6 | pages = 365&ndash;376 | doi = 10.1007/s11199-008-9425-3 | date=September 2008 | s2cid = 143706723 }} [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lisa_Diamond4/publication/225748244_Questioning_Gender_and_Sexual_Identity_Dynamic_Links_Over_Time/links/587adec408aed3826ae7bd8b/Questioning-Gender-and-Sexual-Identity-Dynamic-Links-Over-Time.pdf Pdf.]</ref><ref>The ''[[Oxford Dictionary of English]]'' defines pansexual as: "Not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity".{{cite web|url = http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pansexual |title=definition of pansexual from Oxford Dictionaries Online|publisher = Oxford Dictionaries |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150210180124/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pansexual |archive-date=2015-02-10 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all |access-date=2015-05-31}}</ref> Pansexuality is sometimes considered a type of bisexuality.<ref>{{cite book |last=Firestein |first=Beth A. |title=Becoming Visible: Counseling Bisexuals Across the Lifespan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pCKkZmBU1EC&pg=PA9 |access-date=July 28, 2013 |year=2007 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-13724-9|page=9}}</ref>

Polysexuality has been defined as "encompassing or characterized by many different kinds of sexuality",<ref>[[John Simpson (lexicographer)|Simpson, John]] (ed.) (2009). ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', ''[[Oxford University Press]]'', USA, {{ISBN|9780199563838}}</ref> and as sexual attraction to many, but not all, genders.<ref name=tucker>[[Mykel Board|Board, Mykel]]. "Pimple No More." In Tucker, Naomi S. (ed.) ''Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries, and Visions''. [[Routledge]], {{ISBN|9781560238690}}</ref>{{rp|281-287}} Those who use the term may be doing so as a replacement for the term ''bisexual'', believing ''bisexual'' reifies [[dichotomy|dichotomies]].<ref>Garnets, Linda; Kimmel, Douglas C. (2003). ''Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Experiences.'' [[Columbia University Press]], {{ISBN|9780231124133}}</ref> Major [[monotheistic]] religions generally prohibit polysexual activity, but some religions incorporate it into their practices.<ref>[[Loraine Hutchins|Hutchins, Loraine]]; [[H. Sharif Williams|Williams, H. Sharif]] (2011). ''Sexuality, Religion and the Sacred: Bisexual, Pansexual and Polysexual Perspectives.'' [[Taylor & Francis]], {{ISBN|9780415783040}}</ref> ''Polysexuality'' is also considered to be another word for bisexuality.<ref name=tucker/>{{rp|322}}

{{vanchor|Sapiosexuality}} describes attraction to the intelligence of another person.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/12/04/368441691/sapiosexual-seeks-same-a-new-lexicon-enters-online-dating-mainstream|title=Sapiosexual Seeks Same: A New Lexicon Enters Online Dating Mainstream|last=Ulaby|first=Neda|date=December 4, 2014|website=National Public Radio|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref> The prefix ''sapio-'' comes from the Latin for "I [have] taste" or "I [have] wisdom" and refers to a person's preferences, proclivities, and common sense.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=sapio&la=la#lexicon|title=Latin Word Study Tool|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu |df=mdy-all |access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> Sapiosexual-identifying individuals can also be gay, straight, or bisexual.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/02/nyregion/the-hottest-body-part-for-a-sapiosexual-its-the-brain.html|title=The Hottest Body Part? For a Sapiosexual, It's the Brain|last=North|first=Anna|date=June 2, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/living-story/7211102--sapiosexual-yes-there-s-an-app-for-that/|title='Sapiosexual': yes, there's an app for that|last=McKnight|first=Zoe|date=March 27, 2017|website=The Record|access-date=March 8, 2019}}</ref> It is not a [[sexual orientation]].<ref name=nyt/><ref name=dailybeast/> It first gained mainstream attention in 2014 when dating website [[OkCupid]] added it as one of several new sexual orientation and gender identity options.<ref name=nyt/> About 0.5% of OkCupid users identify as sapiosexual, and it is most common among those ages 31–40.<ref name=nyt/> Women are more likely to identify as sapiosexual than men.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gignac|first1=Gilles|last2=Darbyshire|first2=Joey|last3=Ooi|first3=Michelle|date=Winter 2018|title=Some people are attracted sexually to intelligence: A psychometric evaluation of sapiosexuality|journal=Intelligence|volume=66|pages=98–111|doi=10.1016/j.intell.2017.11.009}}</ref> Several commentators have stated that sapiosexuality is "elitist," "discriminatory," and "pretentious."<ref name=nyt/><ref name=dailybeast>{{cite web|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/pretentious-is-not-a-sexual-orientation|title=Pretentious Is Not A Sexual Orientation|last=Allen|first=Samantha|date=April 18, 2015|website=The Daily Beast |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/sex-and-relationships/are-you-a-sapiosexual-that-s-the-term-bouncing-around-the-sphere-of-social-media/story-vPlS3J03BIQQ9OH3lYtFjL.html|title=Are you a sapiosexual? That's the term bouncing around the sphere of social media|last=Dogra|first=Aditya|date=June 7, 2017|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=March 7, 2019}}</ref> OkCupid removed the Sapiosexual identity on February 11th 2019<ref name="OkCupid Gender and Orientation">{{cite web |url=https://help.okcupid.com/article/208-gender-and-orientation-on-okcupid |title=Gender and Orientation on OkCupid |publisher=OkCupid.com}}</ref> following considerable negative feedback, specifically quoting an article on [[Vice_(magazine)|Vice Magazine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/43gd5p/sapiosexuals-people-who-only-have-sex-with-smart-people |title=People Who Only Want to Fuck Smart People Created Their Own 'Sexual Orientation'}}</ref>

{{vanchor|Relationship anarchy}} combines polyamory and anarchist principles. Its practice has no norms but tends towards criticism of American relationship norms, absence of demands and expectations on partners, and lack of distinction between hierarchical value of friendship and romantic relationships.<ref name="DeLamaterPlante2015">{{cite book|last1=DeLamater|first1=John|last2=Plante|first2=Rebecca F.|title=Handbook of the Sociology of Sexualities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0d3yCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA230|year=2015|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-17341-2|page=230}}</ref>

===Unlabeled sexuality===
Unlabeled sexuality is when an individual chooses not to label their sexual identity. This identification could stem from one's uncertainty about their sexuality or their unwillingness to conform to a sexuality because they don't necessarily like labels, or they wish to feel free in their attractions instead of feeling forced into same, other, both, or all attractions because of their sexual identity. Identifying as unlabeled could also be because of one's "unwillingness to accept their sexual minority status."<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite journal | last1 = Diamond | first1 = Lisa M | year = 2007 | title = A dynamical systems approach to the development and expression of female same-sex sexuality | journal = Perspectives on Psychological Science | volume = 2 | issue = 2| pages = 142–161 | doi=10.1111/j.1745-6916.2007.00034.x| pmid = 26151957 | s2cid = 9799972 }}</ref> Because being unlabeled is the purposeful decision of no sexual identity, it is different from bisexuality or any other sexual identity. Those who are unlabeled are more likely to view sexuality as less stable and more fluid and tend to focus more on the “person, not the gender.”<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite journal | last1 = Brooks | first1 = Kelly D. | last2 = Quina | first2 = Kathryn | year = 2009 | title = Women's sexual identity patterns: Differences among lesbians, bisexuals, and unlabeled women | journal = Journal of Homosexuality | volume = 56 | issue = 8| pages = 1030–1045 | doi=10.1080/00918360903275443| pmid = 19882425 | s2cid = 29970857 }}</ref>
	
It is reported that some women who identify as unlabeled did so because they are unable or uncertain about the types of relationships they will have in the future. As such, this divergence from sexual labels could provide for a person to be able to more fully realize their "true" sexuality because it frees them from the pressure of liking and being attracted to who their sexual identification dictates they should like.<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name="ReferenceC"/>