Scarleteen
Published on Scarleteen (https://www.scarleteen.com)

Home > The Answers (for Now) - Jack

The Answers (for Now) - Jack

When did you start to question your sexual orientation [1]? What in particular made that question arise?

I started questioning my sexuality in High School when my girlfriend started referring to us as lesbians. It just didn't feel or sound right. I knew I liked women, but men were great too. Except I definitely didn't like men the way my straight and bisexual [2] female friends liked me.


This is part of a series [3] of personal stories about questioning & coming to understand one's sexual orientation! Check out the other experiences, from: 

Asher [4] • Ben [5] • Gerbil [6] • Mo [7] • Riley [8] • Riss [9] • Ruby [10] • Sam [11] • Sebastian [12] • Wyn [13]


When (if ever) did that question resolve itself?

Everything just sort of clicked into place when I realized I'm trans and the reason why I didn't like men the same way my female friends did is because I'm not female.

How would you describe your sexual orientation as you understand it now?

It depends a lot on who I'm talking to. I will describe myself as just queer [14] when I'm talking to an LGBT [15] person, but stick with bisexual when talking to straight people.

How do/did you feel about being questioning? Positive? Negative? Something else entirely?

I mostly just felt confused. There are so many portrayals of straight people and, to a lesser extent, gay [16] people but so few bisexual ones that I could identify with.

What is or was the most confusing? When you thought "maybe I'm [x]," what made you feel unsure or second-guess yourself?

The most confusing part was that I didn't (and to some extent still don't) feel attraction the same way as my peers talk about it.

Was there a defining moment that clarified things for you, or did you come to a more gradual realization?

As soon as I figured out that I'm trans and that it was a valid "option" I figured out that being bisexual was too.

Did you talk to other people about being questioning, or compare notes with other people of an orientation you thought you might be?

I asked a lot of "so when you say you like him you mean...?" and "so what is a crush exactly?" type questions to my entire peer group.

What would you say to past-questioning-you if you could send a message back in time?

This is not worth stressing out over. You are okay. There is nothing wrong with you.

We love L, G, B, T, Q, A and all the letters

Information on this site is provided for educational purposes. It is not meant to and cannot substitute for advice or care provided by an in-person medical professional. The information contained herein is not meant to be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease, or for prescribing any medication. You should always consult your own healthcare provider if you have a health problem or medical condition.

© 1998 - 2021 Scarleteen/Heather Corinna. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy & User Guidelines


Source URL: https://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_jack

Links
[1] https://www.scarleteen.com/glossary#sexual_orientation
[2] https://www.scarleteen.com/glossary#bisexual
[3] http://www.scarleteen.com/article/sexual_identity_sexuality/the_answers_for_now
[4] http://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_asher
[5] http://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_ben
[6] http://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_gerbil
[7] http://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_mo
[8] http://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_riley
[9] http://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_riss
[10] http://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_ruby
[11] http://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_sam
[12] http://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_sebastian
[13] http://www.scarleteen.com/questioning_orientation_wyn
[14] https://www.scarleteen.com/glossary#queer
[15] https://www.scarleteen.com/glossary#LGBT
[16] https://www.scarleteen.com/glossary#gay