Choose 3 concepts from the notes provided, ideas and/or vocabulary words that you learned about in the module, and explain them as if to someone who knows nothing about the topic. Explain how this learning increased your knowledge of social justice.
GENDER CLASS NOTES
Gender Module Introduction
Before you dig into this module, we just need to make sure you are clear on the difference
between gender identity, sex assigned at birth (what the doctors think you are based on your
genetics and genitalia) and sexuality (who you are attracted to).
Gender is a social construct; it is how you express your sex assigned at birth (or not, as the case
may be). Examples of gender identity include but are not limited to: woman, man, cisgender,
trans, two-spirit. People express their gender identity through hairstyle, clothing, behaviours etc.
Sex is biological and is determined by your genes. Note that from a genetic perspective there is
more than simply male (XY) or female (XX). There is also inter-sex (XXY and XXX, for
example). Carefully examine the figures below before going to the next chapter.
Gender Roles & Expectations
Before we dig into the history of sexism in Canada and the world, and what current issues face
us, I want you to think about a couple things:
1) Make a mental list of what it means when people say “Be a man.” These can be characteristics
you consider positive or negative.
2) Now make a mental list of what people mean when they say “Be a lady.” These can be
characteristics you consider positive or negative.
Here is a list of common responses from students aged 16-18 in B.C. from the years 2010-2018.
How many of the characteristics listed did you also think of? Do you agree or disagree with your
peers on the list they made?
Ideas associated with “being a man”
Ideas associated with “being a lady”
Work hard
Cross your legs
Provide; be a breadwinner
Cover yourself
Physical strength/muscular
Cook and clean
Protect
Proper manners
Bravery
Be hairless except for head
Role model
Wear make up
Responsibility
High heels
Aggressive
High maintenance
Gentleman
No sex before marriage
Leader
Stay skinny
“don’t be a b*tch”
Extreme dieting
Superiority
Look young
Loyalty
Proper amount of cleavage
Stand up for yourself
Submissive
Don’t embarrass yourself in front of buddies
Housewife/keep hubby happy/raise kids
Hold in your emotions
No swearing
Don’t be emotional/moody/ a girl
No farting, sweating
Ambitious
Be dependent on man
Don’t act or be gay
Wear a bra and make sure it matches underwear
Don’t cry
No public transit
Be a womanizer (“pimp”)
Don’t be a sl*t
have many sexual partners
Be sexy but not too sexy
Play sports
Be intelligent but …..
Show no fear or mercy
dumb down for men so they aren’t intimidated
No housework
Be delicate and petite
Hunting/survival/shooting things
Kind, respectful, responsible
Smell good
Have nice a*s/breasts/legs
Be in good shape but still soft and sensual
Don’t show PMS or be moody
Have style and grace
Be arm candy for men
Be reserved and conservative
Never bring up rowdy topics/don’t be vulgar
Be needy
Be modest
Things to think about
The list for females is much longer than the list for males – why do you think that is?
This list is getting a bit old – from 2010-2018 – do you think things have changed since then? Are
your lists different?
Source:
Social Justice 12 class activity in Surrey, BC, 2015-17
Gender Roles and Marketing
The media and marketers have a role to play in perpetuating these views of gender. Products are
often marketed specifically to men or women, even if the item is for both sexes.
Consider “Bic for her,” a pen made specifically for women; a pink pen that supposedly fits a
woman’s hand properly. The TV talk show host, Ellen, took a satirical crack at the gender role
expectations embedded in this product:
Consider why companies may want to have separate products for men vs women, even if it is
completely unnecessary, such as in the case of pens. One reason is that they can actually
charge more money for similar product when it is for women. According
to https://www.thebalancemoney.com/:
“Personal care products targeted at women, like shampoo, razors, body wash, and lotion, cost
nearly 13% more than those products targeted at men, according to a new study from The
Balance. Razor cartridges and deodorant marketed toward women had the largest markups
compared to those products for men, the data showed. ”
Stylized Quote
“Personal care products targeted at women, like shampoo, razors, body wash, and lotion, cost
nearly 13% more than those products targeted at men, according to a new study from The
Balance. Razor cartridges and deodorant marketed toward women had the largest markups
compared to those products for men, the data showed. ”
https://www.thebalancemoney.com/
This practice of overcharging women for similar products has been called the “pink tax”. The
pink tax refers to the general tendency for products marketed specifically toward women
consumers to be more expensive than those marketed toward men.
Male violence: biological or taught?
To what extent is violent masculinity biological or taught? In other words, how much is nature
vs. nurture? Can we blame testosterone and evolution for male violence? Video games? Movies?
Scientific studies question the “it’s the testosterone” argument when trying to understand male
violence. There seems to be a link between testosterone and being dominant and sometimes
violent. Criminals (male or female) who commit violent acts often have higher testosterone
levels. However, we know that life experience and age changes brain chemistry and hormone
levels, so the question becomes “are the higher levels of testosterone in violent criminals the
cause, or consequence, of living a violent life?” To date we do not have clear answers on this.
The evidence we have that claims hormones have control over human behavior is mainly from
studies that show a correlation, not a causation. This means that while there appears to be a
relationship between high testosterone levels and increased male violence, we cannot be sure this
is caused by testosterone. Not only that, there are many men with high testosterone that are not
more violent than those with average levels.
As for video games, the verdict is still out. There are studies claiming there is a risk of increased
violence among those that play violent video games, and studies that claim there is no link.
So, why are men more violent than women? If we can narrow down the ‘why’ then perhaps we
might have more success in creating societies that are less violent. There is some evidence that
men who are more violent have mental health issues and/or experienced abuse as children. This
begs the question, “what if we eliminated child abuse and treated mental health issues”? Might
male violence be reduced?
There is also a link between violence and group behavior, where people get caught up in the
‘mob mentality’ – when this happens with men, who generally hold more power in society, they
have the power to act and so commit group violence on other, less powerful people (whether
they be male or female).
How we socialize boys in the ‘man box’ stereotype is also part of the picture. If we raise boys to
accept and commit violence as part of ‘being a man’ why is it surprising that they would turn to
violence to solve problems?
The causes of violence, let alone male perpetrated violence specifically, are complex; we should
avoid coming up with one simple answer to this phenomenon and instead approach it from
multiple perspectives as we try to lessen its impact on everyone.
Sources:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-testosterone-alone-doesnt-causeviolence/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2019/02/15/new-study-shows-that-there-is-no-linkbetween-violent-video-games-and-aggression-in-teenagers/#679f80c8328e
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-human-beast/200907/sex-violence-and-hormones
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/evidence-based-living/201807/do-violent-videogames-make-kids-more-violent
The “Man Box” and Toxic Masculinity
Gender role expectations have positive and negative outcomes for people. In this lesson you will
focus on how boys have been socialized to become a certain type of man. As you watch, think
about the negative outcomes of this “man box.”
Warning: this video contains a trigger alert in the form of reference to a rape. If this is a
trigger for you, simply read the “main points” summary that is provided lower down on this
page.

Tony Porter TED Talk “Call to Men” Main Points
The “Man Box”:
In the “man box”, men:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Don’t cry or openly express emotions (with exception of anger)
Don’t show weakness or fear
Demonstrate power and control (especially over women)
Demonstrate aggression and dominance
Act as the protector
Don’t act “like a woman”
Are heterosexual / don’t act like a gay guy
Are tough, athletic, strong and courageous
Makes decisions and do not need help
View women as property and objects
Stylized Quote
The liberation of men is tied to the liberation of women.
Tony Porter
While there are problematic behaviors that come out of the “man box,” we should not then
conclude that everything about “being a man” is bad. That is not what Tony is saying. He is
asking us to question the assumptions and traditions of what it means to “be a man” and wonder
which parts are worth keeping and which should be discarded.
The same question needs to be asked about the “lady box” gender stereotype. Which parts are
helpful and healthy and which are not? Do these boxes, whether they include positive ideas or
not, need to even exist? Can we do away with gender role boxes and let everyone just be who
they want to be, and adopt gender roles from whichever gender they wish? These are the deeper
questions we can ask ourselves to carefully think about as we analyze gender roles.
Toxic Masculinity
“Toxic masculinity” attempts to differentiate between a healthy idea of masculinity, and another
idea that hurts all gender identities, including male/men. The toxic part of toxic masculinity are
the behaviours that are based on control, domination and humiliation. It is also marked by the
fear of being seen as “feminine” and thus, weak. Here, let’s take a look at this video, which has
some helpful examples for your consideration:

Toxic masculinity has caused too many boys to grow into lonely teens and adults:

Listen
Violence, Gender Roles and Language
It seems that clear that the “man box” and “toxic masculinity” are connected to violence towards
all genders. Although it is violence against women that is most often discussed, men commit
violent acts against each other at much higher rates than they do against women. This aspect of
the “man box” hurts men just as much as it hurts women.
In this video, Jackson Katz discusses how male gender role stereotypes, privilege, and language
all mesh together to create a culture of violence.
Warning: this video contains a trigger alert in the form of reference to a rape. If this is a
trigger for you, simply read the “main points” summary that is provided lower down on this
page.

Jackson Katz TED Talk “Violence against women – it’s a men’s issue” main points:
Gender violence has been seen as a women’s issue that some good men help out with. This needs
to change.
When men hear “gender” they think “woman. This is one example of how the power of the status
quo is left unquestioned. Consider that when we hear race we think “African/Indo/Chinese
Canadian.” When we hear sexual orientation we think “homosexual.”
In each of these cases the dominant, privileged group does not get acknowledged – it is as if they
don’t exist; they are the “normal/default” setting. Do white people have no race? Heterosexuals
have no sexual orientation? Men don’t have a gender? The answer to these questions is, “yes
they do.” The dominant group is rarely challenged to think about their dominance because that is
a key factor in dominance and privilege; the ability to go unexamined and become invisible in
the issues that are largely about them; the dominant group. So, racism has largely been about
white people’s attitudes, sexism has largely been about men’s attitudes, and discrimination
against homosexuals is about heterosexual’s attitudes about sexuality.
Consider how language reinforces this idea (sentence structure shows how language conspires to
keep our attention off men):
John beat Mary (subject verb object)
Mary was beaten by John (focus shifts to Mary)
Mary was beaten (now it’s all about Mary and John has disappeared even though he was the
original actor)
Mary was battered
Mary is a battered woman (now she is given an identity and the door opens to blaming the
victim)
Our whole sentence structure (our grammar!) is set up to blame the victim.
The questions we should be asking:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Why does John beat Mary?
Why is domestic violence a problem all over the world?
Why do so many men abuse the women and children they claim to love?
What’s going on with men?
What is the role of various institutions that are helping to produce abusive men in epidemic
proportions
What is the role of religion, sports, pornography, family structure, race and ethnicity?
How can we change the socialization of boys and the definition of manhood to stop gender
violence?
Ways to help:
Men need to stand with women, not against them. Lose the idea that there is a war between the
sexes. We live in the world TOGETHER.
The bystander approach to gender violence prevention:
•
•
•
When peers interrupt other peers when they act and talk racist, sexist etc… and make it uncool
to act that way – make it shameful – so that if a boy/man acts this way he loses status within his
peer group.
Martin Luther King said “In the end what will hurt most is not the words of our enemies but the
silence of our friends” – so SPEAK OUT!
Listen
•
“Like a Girl”
•
All forms of media are key factors in the hegemony of gender roles and expectations.
However, challenges to traditional gender roles and expectations are also played out in
the media. Perhaps you have heard of the “Like a Girl” advertising campaign put out by
the Always brand of menstrual products. This example of virtue signaling has a brand
name challenging gender roles as a way to tell us they are a good company. For those that
are not familiar with the campaign, here is one of the ads:
In Lesson 1 you thought about what it means when people say “Be a Man” or “Be a
Lady.” The statement “Like a girl” has specific meanings, none of which are positive. As
you can see, however, young girls do not seem to be aware of these negative
connotations. The ad asks “when does ‘like a girl’ become a negative thing?” What do you
think? When does it, and why?
When we were considering “the man box” a few lessons back, you were asked to
consider if it’s time to get rid of gender roles altogether, and just let everyone be
themselves. Perhaps we just need to think about what parts of being a man and/or a
women are just good character traits for a person to have regardless of their gender?
Instead of “be a man” or “be a lady” we just say “Be a good person”? Of course then we
have to agree on what a good person is, and that is another whole conversation.
•
•

Listen
Feminism around the world
Feminism has always been controversial, but however one chooses to interpret what it means on
a personal level, the definition remains the same: equal rights between the sexes. Despite this
universal definition, feminism is infused with cultural nuances depending on the country and
culture one is from. In the developing world, women consider the western world’s version of
feminism to be a form of colonialism, where western women tell other women around the world
that they are oppressed and should be liberated in the same way western women have been. Here
is where we start to really talk about intersectionality; intersectionality is a concept often used
in critical theories to describe the ways in which oppressive institutions (racism, sexism,
homophobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia – dislike of or prejudice against people from
other countries – classism, etc.) are interconnected and cannot be examined separately from one
another. In the case of western feminists telling women from other countries how they should be
liberated, we have the intersection of sexism, racism and often classism. Western women are
often white and in comparison to their sisters from the developing world, wealthy (and thus more
privileged). Nonetheless, there are common struggles for women around the world.
Can men be feminists? There is a still a significant reluctance among men to identify themselves
as feminists, despite a growing commitment to equal rights.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie became well known after her TED talk, “We should all be
feminists” went viral. In it, she argues why everyone, including men, should be feminists.
Japleen Pasricha, Founder and Director of the organization “Feminism in India,” speaks at a TED
conference in India about the struggles women are facing in India today. She also shares her own
story of sexual harrassment and her response to it. Japleen also focuses on her heroines who
have fought for women’s rights over the course of India’s history.
Sources
https://www.capitalgroup.com/pcs/latest-perspectives/Growing-Equality-fo-Women-inIndia.html (article based on Dutta’s book “Half a Billion Rising: The Emergence of the Indian
Woman”
https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/indian-feminism-coming-of-age/200427?scroll
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism_in_India
Listen
First Wave Feminism in Canada
Women’s movements (or, feminist movements) of the 19th and early-20th century — often
referred to as first-wave feminism — included campaigns in support of temperance, women’s
suffrage, pacifism, as well as labour and health rights. Mobilization and organizing by feminist
activists during this period often focused on achieving legal and political equality.
Groups and Causes
In the early and mid-19th century, most women in Canada collaborated with people like
themselves. Given their socio-economic status, middle-class women of European origin had
particular opportunities to organize. The groups formed by these women, such as missionary
societies, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), the National Council of Women
of Canada (NCWC), and the Fédération nationale Saint-Jean-Baptiste (FNSJB), have attracted
the most attention from scholars.
Early coalitions of women’s groups, such as the NCWC (established in 1893) and the FNSJB
(1907), recognized and represented relatively diverse concerns and causes, demonstrating the
promise of a common voice. The potential of broad coalitions was and continues to be a
significant theme in Canadian women’s movements.
Women’s Suffrage and Human Rights
When the First World War ended in 1918, and most women in Canada won the right to vote,
organized women were often uncertain about how to proceed. There was some debate as to
whether they should organize as independent and non-partisan groups, establish separate
women’s political parties, or improve male groups with insights based on female experiences.
Few separate political groups emerged, but women formed new associations of their own and
often joined men in social and political campaigns, for example in the League of Nations,
the Communist Party of Canada, the Canadian Birth Control League and the Canadian Red Cross
Society. New women-only opportunities emerged in the National Council of Jewish Women of
Canada, the Canadian Negro Women’s Association, the Federated Women’s Institutes of
Canada, Women’s Labour Leagues, and the Catholic Women’s League of Canada. Some, like
the Women’s Missionary Society of the United Church operated almost independent female
worlds. Secular patriotism mobilized the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire and the
Women’s Canadian Clubs — both founded in the early 20th century. The Ukrainian Women’s
Association of Canada offered members another form of nationalism. The Canadian Federation
of University Women called for equality in education and employment. Unions such as the
International Ladies’ Garment Workers supported women workers. So too did groups such as the
Canadian National Association of Trained Nurses and the Federation of Women Teachers’
Associations of Ontario. The Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs
emerged alongside the international federation in 1930, and demanded employment equality.
The suffrage cause continued to mobilize women in provinces that had yet to extend the right to
women. In Québec, the Alliance canadienne pour le vote des femmes du Québec and the Ligue
des droits de la femme led the charge until women’s suffrage was achieved in 1940.
While the years before 1960 did not mobilize women to better society and government as
powerfully as the suffrage cause, they were not fruitless. The emergence of social security owed
much to cooperative endeavours, beginning with mothers’ pensions during the First World
War, old-age pensions in 1927, and the creation of the federal Women’s Labour Bureau in 1954.
Organized women challenged opposition to equal pay, endemic violence against women and
children, and lack of support for female politicians. While few publicly named themselves
feminists, activists remained critical community builders.
Significance and Legacy
The early women’s movements offer reminders of courage, diversity and frequently conflicting
agendas among activists. They also suggest the potential and the problems of creating broadbased coalitions to challenge sexism and misogyny. Too often, special interests — whether of
class, race, religion, or ability — undermined activism. Ultimately, the struggle for women’s
rights or feminism never attracted all women; loyalties, distrust, or fears kept many silent or in
opposing camps. Activists’ long, and often unfinished, struggles for a better deal
in education, law, employment and healthcare confirm that inequality is ongoing.
Sources:
https://www.usask.ca/diefenbaker/virtual-exhibits/sisters-united-virtual/for-oragainst.php#MothersoftheRace
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/early-womens-movements-in-canada
Listen
Tactics used by the Suffrage Movement
Let’s take a moment to consider how one group of oppressed people, women, worked to get more
rights. This helps us think about how change happens, and could give us some ideas on what
strategies we might use today to help people get more rights.
Women fighting for the right to vote were called suffragettes. They used a variety of tactics in
their struggle, and were ultimately successful; women have the right to vote in Canada (and most
other countries in the world). Some women in Canada actually received the right to vote before
women in England or the United States. On 28 January 1916, Manitoba women became the first
in Canada to win both the right to vote and to hold provincial office. By May 1918 all nonindigenous women in Canada had the right to vote in federal elections. Indigenous women did
not get the right to vote until 1960 (we will look into this more later). Interestingly, women in
America lost the right to vote in some states in the mid-1700s and only got it back on a national
level in 1920.
What were the tactics and strategies used by the suffragists to get the vote? Compared to their
English counterparts, Canadian suffragettes were more peaceful and polite in their approach;
how “Canadian” eh? The Canadian suffragettes signed petitions, lobbied government officials
and elected representatives, held mock parliaments filled with satire and humour, held marches,
and edited newspapers. Their British and American counterparts went further and staged hunger
strikes. Some British suffragettes committed arson and physically attacked politicians. In both
these countries suffragettes were sent to prison for marching, arson and physical attacks.
One British suffragette, Emily Davidson, took extreme action to get the message out that women
wanted the vote. On 4th June 1913 Davison attended the Epsom Derby, a high-profile horse race
held at Epsom Downs in Surrey, England in which the King of England, King George V, had a
horse entered . As the King’s horse, Anmer, came past her she ran to grab the reins; hit by the
horse she fell unconscious and died on 8th June. Found in her effects were two flags, the return
stub of her railway ticket to London, her race card and a ticket to a suffragette dance later that
day. There is debate about whether she meant to be hit by the horse, or was just trying to attach
the flag of the suffragette movement to his bridle. The horse fell but was not injured – the jockey
received a mild concussion in the fall. Both horse and jockey went on to race again.
What might have driven some women to embrace extreme actions as a way to force change? Do
you think this is as successful as non-violent strategies such as those used by Canadian
suffragettes? The Canadian suffragettes rejected violent and extreme tactics, despite being
pressured to use violence by their British colleagues. The right to non-violent protest is in our
Canadian constitution, but if you were to use violence in a protest, you would be charged and
maybe go to jail.
Sources:
http://education.historicacanada.ca/files/108/Womens_Suffrage.pdf
https://www.ournellie.com/learn/womens-suffrage/
https://www.bl.uk/votes-for-women/articles/suffragettes-violence-and-militancy
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/suffrage
Listen
Second Wave Feminism in Canada
Winning the right to vote, run for political office, and become a senator seemed to satisfy the
women of Canada for a few decades. Then, from 1960-1985 a second wave of feminism
occurred. This time the focus was on peace and disarmament, equality in education and
employment, birth control, abortion, and an end to violence against women. As part of this fight,
women also lobbied to change the divorce laws in Canada to make them more equitable. As part
of the second wave, women also addressed a wide variety of issues including how women are
allowed to dress and sexism in advertising. Similar movements existed in Britain and the United
States. Some of the issues taken up by second wave feminism are still being dealt with today.
An example of the kind of actions second wave feminists did was found the first shelter for
abused women and children in Canada. It opened in the early 1970s in Toronto and was called
“Interval House.” Today there are many more such shelters in Canada and around the world.
Sources:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/womens-movements-in-canada-196085
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/05/02/how-a-group-of-young-feminists-openedcanadas-first-shelter-for-abused-women-and-children.html
Listen
The Third Wave
Third wave feminism was built on the hard work done by second wave feminists. During the
1990s, feminists wanted to finish the work started by their mothers and grandmothers after
World War Two. Women in the 1990s had more political and economic power than ever before,
and they used it to bring about change. They also had access to technology like the internet to
help mobilize their movement.
Demonstrators at the Women’s March on Washington in Washington, D.C, 2017.
While previous feminist movements focused on women’s rights, third wave feminism sought to
widen the circle and include racism and classism in the fight against sexism. This is when the
term “intersectionality” was born; sometimes sexism is combined with racism and/or classism.
This is also when western feminists worked on “decolonizing” feminism to acknowledge that
their form of feminism wasn’t necessarily the ‘best’ feminism for every woman in the world.
This is also the time when serious questioning of gender roles and norms for men and women
started in earnest. Gender identity became an actual topic of conversation, with feminists
encouraging people to discuss how gender is a socialized construct. They questioned standards of
beauty, and the harm they do to women, and how advertising and the media affect gender roles.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/topic/feminism/The-third-wave-of-feminism
Listen
The Fourth Wave
The Fourth Wave of feminism is now. What does it mean? What is it fighting for?
One example of Fourth wave feminism is the work started by Laura Bates. She was frustrated
with continuing street harassment, sexual harassment, workplace discrimination and bodyshaming she, and the women she spoke to, kept encountering. She started the “Everyday Sexism”
project where tens of thousands of women and men from around the world have shared the
harassment they face on a day to day basis.
Another example is the #Me-Too movement, which started in the United States and has spread
around the world. In countries like India there is a cultural shift taking place where sexual assault
and rape are becoming less accepted.
A key part of this Fourth Wave is technology; especially social media. Women and men from
around the world can share their stories and mobilize in ways never seen before. This is
wonderful. However, it also allows those who are unhappy with the movement a stronger voice
as well.
There are so many faces and issues being explored and addressed in this Fourth Wave; one little
lesson cannot do it justice. You will have the choice to explore this on your own in more depth in
the unit project if you wish. For now, start thinking about a gender or sexuality issue that you are
passionate about. Keep this in burning in your mind as you go to the next lesson on Sexuality.
For now, here is Laura Bates sharing what she found out from the people around the word who
posted their every day experiences of gender and sexual harassment.
This video does deal with some upsetting examples of sexual harassment and sexism
experienced by women.

Sources
http://everydaysexism.com/
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/16/asia/india-rape-bjp-protests-intl/index.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/fourth-wave-feminism-rebel-women
Listen
What do we mean by “Sexuality”?
Sexuality is not about who you have sex with, or how often you have it. Sexuality is about your
sexual feelings, thoughts, attractions and behaviours towards other people. You can find other
people physically, sexually or emotionally attractive, and all those things are a part of your
sexuality.
Sexuality is diverse and personal, and it is an important part of who you are. Discovering your
sexuality can be a very liberating, exciting and positive experience.
Some people experience discrimination due to their sexuality. If someone gives you a hard time
about your sexuality, it’s good to talk to someone about it.
Different types of sexuality
Sometimes, it can take time to figure out the sexuality that fits you best. And your sexuality can
change over time. It can be confusing; so don’t worry if you are unsure.
You might be drawn to men or to women, to both or to neither. There is no right or wrong – it’s
about what’s right for you. And while there are common terms to describe different types of
sexuality, you don’t have to adopt a label to describe yourself.
Heterosexual and homosexual
Most people are attracted to the opposite sex – boys who like girls, and women who like men, for
example. These people are heterosexual, or ‘straight’.
Some people are attracted to the same sex. These people are homosexual. Around 10 per cent of
young Australians experience same-sex attraction, most during puberty.
‘Lesbian’ is the common term for people who identify as women and are same-sex attracted.
‘Gay’ is the most common term for people who identify as men and are same-sex attracted,
although women identifying as lesbian also sometimes use this word.
Bisexual
Sexuality can be more complicated than being straight or gay. Some people are attracted to both
men and women, and are known as bisexual.
Bisexual does not mean the attraction is evenly weighted – a person may have stronger feelings
for one gender than another. And this can vary depending on who they meet.
There are different kinds of bisexuality. Some people who are attracted to men and women still
consider themselves to be mainly straight or gay. Or they might have sexual feelings towards
both genders but only have intercourse with one.
Other people see sexual attraction as more grey than black and white. These people find
everyday labels too rigid. Some prefer to identify as ‘queer’. And othe