Sexual Orientation

 

Let's begin this blog with a couple definitions. 

sex·u·al·i·tynoun/ˌsekSHo͞oˈalitē/

1. Capacity for sexual feelings.

2. A person's sexual orientation or preference.

gay adj  /gā/

 

1. Happily excited 

2. Keenly alive and exuberant : having or inducing high spirits 
 

For some reason, we use the word "gay" incorrectly to label things in a negative manner such as, "That's so gay". Why do you think such a happy word would mean anything negative? If you think it out....You are either saying that the event in question is gleeful, or that it's homosexual. What is negative about either option?

Somewhere along the line the term "gay" became associated with "sexual looseness" as early as the 1600's.  In the 1800's a brothel could be referred to as a "gay house" as the term leaned towards a promiscuous meaning. The association with homosexuality began in the 1863 when Amer.Eng. used the term gay for "young hobo," one who is new on the road, also one who sometimes does jobs. It was noted that homosexual practices were more common in this group. Today it is used mostly as a label for sexuality. Positive or negative, it depends on your perspective

I think most of the world views sexual preference as this:

You are either straight, or gay. For a long time this was widely accepted.  A newer version of this looks like this:

 This allows for an additional category of "bisexual". For instance, Katy Perry who "kissed a girl and liked it" and yet married a man, she isn't exactly straight or gay so she can be classified as bisexual.

I don't really think the human psyche really works that way.  I believe it is more like this:

Like most biological equations, there is no right or wrong answer, but more of a gradient. People are fluid and every-changing so it is impossible to stick them into a specific category. Perhaps you have sex with someone of the opposite sex, but still enjoy looking at someone of the same sex. This might put you in the dark blue region. Reverse that and you might be more yellow/green. 

My mother asked me one day if I was gay because I came home with a pride flag. I said no. But is there some mathematical equation to figure out what I am?

Using that formula I think I'm about 22.7% gay. Who knew?