Can straight people become 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 demand not ever have had a homo- or heterosexual experience, or any type of sexual trial at all. I have observed this symptom in young children, adolescents, and adults as well. Interestingly Swedo, et al., , establish 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 appear pretty straightforward as a symptom, there are actually a number of variations. The most noticeable form is where a sufferer experiences the thought that they mig
Hi. I&#;m the Address Wall. In the material world, I&#;m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O&#;Neill Library at Boston College. In the online earth, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren&#;t into deities of knowledge, prefer a ghost in the machine.
I possess some human assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O&#;Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to study tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.
If you&#;d like a quicker answer to your question and don&#;t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just prefer me, The Acknowledge Wall.
Meet The Straight Men Who Are Terrified They Are Gay
Hunched nude in the glow of his iMac, year-old Darren* typed the words 'gay porn' into Google for the first time.
"I didn't fancy men," he tells me. "I had a girlfriend, and only ever had sexual feelings for women, but I just couldn't quiver the idea that I was somehow lying to myself."
He plugged in his headphones, clicked on an X-rated video and took a deep breath. It was around 3am, in the summer of , and relentless fears of homosexuality had tormented him since the start of the year. "I just woke up one evening and I was suddenly obsessed with it. It felt like everything I thought I knew about myself was falling apart. It didn't make any sense."
He watched, expecting something significant to stir upstairs or down. But there was nothing. Feeling identical measure victory and defeat, Darren switched off the monitor, laid flat on his bed and wrestled with his doubts for a few more hours before finally surrendering to sleep. He carried out the same test almost every night for the next three weeks, al
Cisgender and Straight Don’t Denote the Same Thing — Here’s Why
Some people inform you what terms they use to describe themselves. For others, you might have to ask.
If you’re not sure and you aren’t comfortable asking, don’t assume the labels someone does or doesn’t use.
Remember that some people might feel uncomfortable talking about their gender or orientation, especially if they’ve experienced discrimination in the past.
If you’re unsure about what terms to apply to describe yourself, grab time to think about it. Read up about terms that might narrate you. Check out forums on Reddit and Facebook groups.
You can’t always tell what pronouns someone uses by looking at them. They might articulate their pronouns up front, or you have to ask. Remember, it’s greater to ask than to assume.
If you’d like, you can share your pronouns when you meet brand-new people.
For example, you could simply say “Hi! My name is so-and-so and my pronouns are they/them.” You can also add your pronouns to your social media bios and email signature.
There are many places where you can learn