Components of Sexuality

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Components of Sexuality
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What is Sexuality?

• Sexuality is made up of many components, such as
  culture, ethnicity, gender, and personality
  traits.

• 4 Major components
• - biological sex
• - gender identity
• - gender expression
• - sexual orientation

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What is biological sex?

• The sexual parts you are born with!
• Includes hormone levels, chromosomes, secondary
  sex characteristics, external genitalia, and
  internal reproductive structures

4
What is gender identity?

• The gender people believe themselves to be in
  their hearts and minds
• How they feel in terms of male and female and how
  they choose to show that to others

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What is gender expression?

• Everything we do that communicates our sex/gender
  to others
• Expressed in clothing, hair styles, mannerisms,
  way of speaking, roles we take in interactions,
  social sex roles, etc.

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What is sexual orientation?

• An enduring pattern of emotional, romantic,
  and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both
  sexes 

•  Types of sexual orientation
• heterosexual/straight attraction to people of
  the opposite gender
• homosexual/gay/lesbian attraction to people of
  the same gender
• bisexual attraction to people of either gender

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Is Sexual Orientation a Choice?

• Beliefs of Medical Associations
• Sexual orientation involves a complex mixture of
  biology, psychology, and environmental factors
• Genes and hormonal factors may play a role
• Sexual orientation is not simply chosen

• Other beliefs
• Individuals can choose who they are attracted to

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What is it like for gay teens?

• Expected to be straight/heterosexual
• Feel different from peers when friends start
  talking about romantic feelings, dating, sex
• May feel like they have to pretend to be
  heterosexual in order to fit in
• Fears of prejudice,
• rejection, etc.
• Many experience
• acceptance and comfort

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What is transgender?

• When biological sex and gender identity do not
  match
• Caused by a hormone imbalance in the womb
• Brain is given the wrong gender imprint

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Knowledge Check

• Identify which component of sexuality is being
  defined in each of the next slides.

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What term is being described?

• Everything we do that communicates our sex/gender
  to others

Gender Expression
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What term is being described?

• The sex organs that we are born with

Biological Sex
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What term is being described?

• How we feel in our hearts and minds about whether
  we are male or female

Gender Identity
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What term is being described?

• A enduring romantic and physical attraction
  toward a particular gender

Sexual Orientation
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What term is being described?

• When biological sex and gender identity do not
  match

Transgender
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Accepting Differences

• Part 2

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Introducing New Students to HMS

• Think about
• Interests that these people have in common with
  you
• Someone you would be friends with
• Someone you would be interested in dating

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Rob
Team player
Has a sister
Likes school most of the time
Lots of friends
Good sense of humor
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Zoe
Has a horse
Good friend
Wants to be a Doctor
Great singer
Performs in plays
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Zack
Good student
Very tall
Great dancer
Loves ice cream
Has 4 brothers
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Carmen
Loves animals
Wants to be a Vet
Loves to text
Plays soccer
Speaks 3 languages
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Rob
Born with male body parts

• Biological sex?

• Male

Sees himself as a man and expresses himself
through clothing, etc. as a man
Attracted to males

• Sexual orientation?

• Gender identity/expression?

• Homosexual/gay

• Male

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Zoe
Born with male body parts

• Biological sex?

• Male

Term that describes mismatch between biological
sex and gender identity?
Sees herself as a woman and expresses herself
through clothing, etc. as a woman

• Transgender

• Gender identity/expression?

Attracted to males

• Female

• Sexual orientation?

• Heterosexual

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Zach
Born with male body parts

• Biological sex?

• Male

Sees himself as a man and expresses himself
through clothing, etc. as a man
Attracted to females

• Sexual orientation?

• Gender identity/expression?

• Straight/heterosexual

• Male

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Carmen
Born with female body parts

• Biological sex?

• Female

Sees herself as a woman and expresses herself
through clothing, etc. as a woman
Attracted to females

• Sexual orientation?

• Lesbian/gay/homosexual

• Gender identity/expression?

• Female

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Critical Thinking Questions

• What concerns might Rob and Carmen have as
  students in this school?
• How might Zoe feel coming to school each day?
• What can you do to make these students feel more
  comfortable at school?

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Think Before You Speak

• Thats so gay!

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In Closing

• Look beyond the labels that society puts on
  people.
• Take time to discover commonalties and celebrate
  differences.
• No one is just athletic, just intelligent, just
  funny, just Latino or just Jewish. Likewise, no
  one is just lesbian, gay, bisexual or
  transgender.