How can you tell if someone is gay
by Fred Penzel, PhD
This article was initially published in the Winter edition of the OCD Newsletter.
OCD, as we know, is largely about experiencing severe and unrelenting doubt. It can cause you to doubt even the most basic things about yourself – even your sexual orientation. A study published in the Journal of Sex Research found that among a group of college students, 84% reported the occurrence of sexual intrusive thoughts (Byers, et al. ). In arrange to have doubts about one’s sexual identity, a sufferer call not ever have had a homo- or heterosexual experience, or any type of sexual experience at all. I have observed this symptom in young children, adolescents, and adults as well. Interestingly Swedo, et al., , verb that approximately 4% of children with OCD experience obsessions concerned with forbidden aggressive or perverse sexual thoughts.
Although doubts about one’s own sexual identity might feel pretty straightforward as a symptom, there are actually a number of variations. The most obvious form is where a sufferer experiences the thought that they mig
List of LGBTQ+ terms
A
Abro (sexual and romantic)
A word used to describe people who possess a fluid sexual and/or idealistic orientation which changes over noun, or the course of their life. They may use diverse terms to describe themselves over time.
Ace
An umbrella term used specifically to describe a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of sexual attraction. This encompasses asexual people as well as those who identify as demisexual and grey-sexual. Ace people who experience romantic attraction or occasional sexual attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their romantic or sexual attraction.
Ace and aro/ace and aro spectrum
Umbrella terms used to describe the wide group of people who experience a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of romantic and/or sexual attraction, including a lack of attraction. People who identify under these umbrella terms may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, asexual, ace,
Is Your Spouse Gay or Bisexual?
Discovering or wondering if your partner might be gay or bisexual can be an emotionally complex experience. It's a deeply personal topic that can stir emotions for both partners. Sometimes, straight spouses of gay or bisexual partners are the last to know about their mate's sexual orientation—the reasons for which can be complex.
There are many reasons why partners may not disseminate their sexual orientation for many years. Societal attitudes, religious beliefs, or a fear of rejection are potential reasons. Or they might worry about how coming out might affect their children. In other cases, they may have only recently recognized their own identity.
Sometimes, though not always, infidelity is part of this pattern. Regardless of how it happens, finding out your spouse is gay or bisexual can leave you feeling rejected, confused, hurt, or anxious about what it means for the future of your relationship and family.
Keep reading to learn more about why someone may delay coming out to their partner, how you can approach a conversation with your spou
Before you begin your Freudian psychoanalysis, make sure to mention that you have a ‘gay-dar’, and don’t forget to detail how accurate it is and has always been. Frame it as an insurmountable achievement of yours. After all, it is much more prestigious than being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. There’s no need to think about the reliability or accuracy of your data collection because you don’t have any, so just launch straight in.
Not everybody can be a gay or lesbian. There is a specific skill to identifying those of us who are. Here are some tell-tale signs that someone is a gay or lesbian:
The first thing to take note of when deciding someone’s sexuality on their behalf, namely whether a gentleman is gay or not, is to observe how high-pitched their voice is. The more high-pitched their usual speaking voice is, the more likely it is that you are talking to a gay person. This is because the pitch of your voice has nothing to perform with biology: it’s actually determined by your sexuality. Forget what scientists say – they’re all just conspiracy theorists, really.
The second hint to take n