Sexuality is Fluid; May Change Over Time, Finds Study

Study finds that sexuality is fluid, & categories like ‘gay’’, ‘bisexual’ or ‘straight’ are not wholly inclusive.

A recent study has found that sexuality is fluid.

(Photo: Wikipedia Commons)

As the world continues in its struggle to define sexuality, a recent study has found that sexuality is fluid, and that categories like ‘gay’’, ‘bisexual’ or ‘straight’ are not sufficient in describing the whole of human sexuality.

The researchers studied around 12000 students from ages 16 to 18 and tracked their lives till their late 20’s and early 30’s, to conclude that sexuality, sexual attraction and sexual identity might change from late adolescence to the early 20’s, and may even extend to the late 20’s.

A report by MarketWatch quotes the study author, Christine Kaestle. professor of developmental health at Virginia Tech, as saying,

Sexual orientation involves many aspects of life, such as who we feel attracted to, who we have sex with, and how we self-identify. 

She added that researchers tend to focus on these aspects singularly, thus failing to give a more holistic picture and ‘oversimplifying’the situation.

Kaestle said. “We will always struggle with imposing categories onto sexual orientation. Because sexual orientation involves a set of various life experiences over time, categories will always feel artificial and static.”

According to news agency ANI, the research devised nine categories (four male and five female) that would better describe the spectrum of varying sexualities. For men, these are ‘straight’, ‘mostly straight or bi’, ‘emerging gay’ and ‘minimal sexual expression’. For women, the categories are ‘straight’, ‘mostly straight discontinuous’, ‘emerging bi’, ‘emerging lesbian’ and ‘minimal sexual expression’.

Least changes were observed in the straight category, and female sexuality appeared to be more fluid than men.

Such an inclusive approach would help recognize sexual minorities and aid in providing them public health.