Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Essay -- sexuality, biology, ch

In todays day in age, different sexualities and gender identities are quickly becoming more accepted in mainstream society. despite this change, there are many people who believe that having a different sexual orientation or gender identity is a choice that is frowned upon. In order to refute this belief, research and biology of the brain is necessary. Researching the brain on the basis of sexuality is a fairly new topic of discussion because it is around difficult and confusing. This paper will explore the different identities of gender, sex and sexual orientation and the main biological reasons behind these. There is also some validity of different sexual orientations and identities through the evidence of sexual disorders like Klinefelters and Turners Syndrome and gender dysphoria.In order to discuss the biology of gender identity and sexual orientation, it is necessary to first examine the differences between multiple definitions that are often mistakenly interchanged se x, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Sexual orientation is delineate by LeVay (2011) as the trait that predisposes us to experience sexual attraction to people of the same sex as ourselves, to persons of the other sex, or to both sexes (p. 1). The regular categories of sexual orientation are homosexual, heterosexual and bisexual. Vrangalova and Savin-Williams (2012) found that most people lay as heterosexual, unless there are also groups of people that identify as mostly heterosexual and mostly gay within the three traditional categories (p. 89). This is to say that there are not three concrete groups, but sexual orientation is a continuum and one can even fluctuate on it over time. LeVay (2011) also defines gender as the ... ...ved October 9, 2015 from http//www.mayoclinic.com/health/klinefelter-syndrome/DS01057.Swaab, D. F. & Garcia-Falgueras, A. (2009). Sexual specialty of the human brain in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation. Functiona l Neurology, 24(1), 17-28.Turner Syndrome Society. (2011). Learn about TS Fact Sheet. Turner Syndrome Society of the join States. Retrieved October 9, 2015 from http//turnersyndrome.org/learn-about-ts/fact-sheetVrangalova, Z., & Savin-Williams, R. C. (2012). Mostly heterosexual and mostly gay/lesbian Evidence for new sexual orientation identities. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 85-101. doi 10.1007/s10505- 012-9921-y.Zhang, S., Liu, Y., & Rao, Y. (2013). Serotonin signaling in the brain of adult female mice is required for sexual preference. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(24), 9968-9973.