Who Counts as a Sexual Minority?

Some people say labels are for jars, and in an ideal world we wouldn’t have any labels or identity categories.  I’m not so sure about that.  Labels can be a problem.  They can make us feel pre-packaged for someone else’s approval or understanding. And they can make us feel like we can’t be all of ourselves, because we’re this one thing (Bay, Black, Jewish, etc…)

But for some people identity labels feel like they help us be who we are, like they are a way of grounding ourselves or finding ourselves in a world that erases us every day.

No easy answers.  What’s important for me is that people are affixing their own labels, and not having an identity stamped on their forehead without their permission or consent.  Which is why the term “sexual minority” has long confused me, and why I wanted to write this week’s newsletter.  ~ Cory

Someone forward you this email? No Sweat! Sign up here to get your own If you're having trouble viewing this email, click here Follow Us Who Counts as a Sexual Minority? Some people say labels are for jars, and in an ideal world we wouldn’t have any labels or identity categories.  I’m not so sure about that.  Labels can be a problem.  They can make us feel pre-packaged for someone else’s approval or understanding. And they can make us feel like we can’t be all of ourselves, because we’re this one thing (Bay, Black, Jewish, etc…) But for some people identity labels feel like they help us be who we are, like they are a way of grounding ourselves or finding ourselves in a world that erases us every day. No easy answers.  What’s important for me is that people are affixing their own labels, and not having an identity stamped on their forehead without their permission or consent.  Which is why the term “sexual minority” has long confused me, and why I wanted to write this week’s newsletter.  ~ Cory Cory Silverberg Sexuality Expert Who Is a Sexual Minority?   If so many of us are in the closet when it comes to our sexual identities and desires, who gets counted as a sexual minority? READ NOW Lesbian Who Loves Gay Porn   I’m a lesbian with a dirty little secret.  I haven’t told my girlfriend or my best friend.  But when I search for porn online I always end up going for the gay male stuff.  What’s up with that? READ NOW Talk to Your Kids about Orientation   We tend to think about sexual orientation in terms of who you have sex with.  So how to do you talk about it with very young children in a way that is neither too prescriptive nor too explicit? READ NOW How Can I Know My Orientation for Sure?   Am I the only person you have heard of that does not know what orientation he is? READ NOW Featured Articles • 10 Simple Phrases That Keep You in Love • Robyn Moore and Mel Gibson: The Complete Marriage Profile • Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving • Get the Scoop on Robert Redford's Marriage to Sibylle Szaggars • Should You Should Get Back Together With an Old Friend? Our Advice • Your Guide to Female Ejaculation • Background Information About Garrison Keillor and Jenny Lind Nilsson • It's a Sticky Widget: Filing Taxes While Going Through a Divorce. Advertisement About Sexuality  |  Follow Us You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Sexuality newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10036 © 2015 About.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.