Sexual Orientation

Sexual orientation refers to one's emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction to another person and is generally assumed to be heterosexual, or straight, meaning that one is attracted to members of the opposite sex. However, various studies suggest that between 5% and 10% of the population may be homosexual, meaning that these people are emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to members of the same sex. This topic is pertinent to educators, administrators, school psychologists, and others who work with children and youth because adolescents often begin to become aware of their sexual orientation before, during, and after puberty. Additionally, homosexual youth, including college-age young adults, often cope with bullying, assaults, and even murder in some cases, as well as shame, depression, and low self-esteem because of ...