Sexuality and relationships

About

Sexuality

There’s no right or wrong when it comes to sexuality; your sexuality – who you are attracted to – is your business and comes down to what feels right for you.

Sexuality can be considered a spectrum: up one end of the spectrum, people are only attracted to one sex, and at the other end, people are attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender.

If you find yourself questioning your sexuality, remember, you don’t have to do anything about it straight away. It’s okay to take whatever time you need to understand your feelings and identity.

Relationships

While LGBTIQ+ relationships face many similar challenges to all other kinds of relationships, a unique challenge these relationships face can de dealing with negative attitudes and stigma that still exist in our society.

Some LGBTIQ+ people feel they cannot do everyday things with their partner in public, such as kiss or hold hands, without facing stigma. This may be compounded for people whose family, community, culture or religion are unaccepting of LGBTIQ+ people and relationships.

What to do

If you’re feeling anxious or confused about your sexuality, this decision tree from ReachOut can help clear things up and provides some tips for when you’re still figuring things out.

Things you could try include:

• Learn about other people’s experiences of discovering their sexuality.
• Read about sexuality.
• Explore books and movies with LGBTQIA+ characters.
• Connect with people who have had similar experiences.

Getting support

LGBTIQ+ support and resources are available at Deakin, including pride clubs and ally networks. Deakin students can also make an appointment to speak with a counsellor through the Deakin's Counselling service.

QLife (1800 184 527) provide anonymous phone and online peer support and referral for people wanting to talk about sexuality, gender, identity, bodies, feelings or relationships.

More help and advice

ReachOut provide information on how to be a good LGBTQIA+ ally, sexuality, understanding your sexuality, and the difference between gender sex and sexuality.

Visit the headspace website for more information about sexuality and sexual orientations.