Sexuality = Actions?

[Venetia]

Sixty, I don't know if that's something to debate over, since you're right. I don't see anything anyone could disagree with you on, unless they were to publicly admit that they're blind and totally ignorant. :')

(But although they still might be, I can't see why they'd admit it.)

 

[Roman Candle]

I think you're all underestimating what it's like to actually have a 'devient' sexuality. In an ideal world, the only thing it would change would be that your partners are of a different sex. But the world isn't the case. When you accept that you are gay, you have to find a new identity for yourself. No one isn't changed.

 

[Jeff the Green]

I'm going to take a middle ground and say that sexuality and actions might be related. We know (as I pointed out in a different thread) that sexuality and gender (sex role) are determined independantly, but have some of the same influences (mostly prenatal hormones) and so tend to go together. It seems to me that personality, habits and other mental traits may be affected by these influences as well, since many parts of the brain that don't deal with sexuality are affected by the same hormones and genetics. But since there are no studies on this to back me up on this one, this is purely conjecture.

 

[Queue]

(God damnit sixty, I can't really say anything to do with the topic. So bloody annoying.)

The only thing I can really blurb out would be that I'm one of those people who wears a mask for the occassion, life for me is a Masquerade, which can be incredibly dangerous. I wouldn't call myself a 'blender' (Blends in with specific groups). I personally don't want a sexual life in any means, be it with another man or woman, it just doesn't appeal to me.

That may have nothing to do with the topic, apologies.

 

[4StarGeneral]

Aye, so Q-Man, you too have found that cutting out sexuality all together solves many problems. But have you also controlled all emotion to hold back further problems? I must ask, for you may be 1 more worthwhile soul in this world...

Anyway, some people I know have jumped on the gay bandwagon (per se) for an easy way out...Others are confused. As far as sex changes go, some people need it as they were brought up around the opposite sex and it isn't easy to not act like the opposite, for them, and they feel embracing that difference and changing is the best way to fix it.
Bisexuality, is the innocent curiosity.

Long story short, I say no, sexuality doesn't = Actions. You may not believe it yourself, but that can't be helped...

 

[Roman Candle]

Anyway, some people I know have jumped on the gay bandwagon (per se) for an easy way out...Others are confused.

Wow, you must know them better than they do!

 

[Lene]

Sex changes is more like how society views gender (as a social thing) as opposed to sex (which is a biological construct). I'm willing to bet that if society wasn't so hellbent on strict gender roles, no one would ever get sex changes.

Once again, the motive comes from the outside.

 

[sixtyandaquarter]

Well, too be fair I think if society actually started acting like a society instead of a book club, sure there could be less sex changes. But, I think if society did the smart/right thing and decided to play nice with others, there might be a boom in it as well.

 

[JonoSasson]

I can't say I know all too much about sex changes, having never been exposed to anybody who has had one, other than a couple of people I've seen on television which is just... not worth even talking about. But the motives behind having one have already been described. I think wanting to have one, and actually getting one have an effect on one's actions. Unfortunately I can't speak on someone's behalf and will leave that there, it's not very clear and I'm sorry; I just know too little.

The other issue raised here was gays. I myself am gay but live nothing to the stereotype that gays are most grouped into, that they are "pansies" and what not. Having been told I'd be the least expected in my group of friends to be gay is something that may strike people as odd because they have predetermined views of what a gay person should be.
When introduced to someone by my friends, they sometimes mention that I'm gay. What this does to the person that meets me is treat me forever differently because I'm part of a minority that society has instructed people to think of me (strangely more so with girls because the chances of having a relationship with me then become zilch). It's not that I've changed the way I act, I'm exactly the same person I was before, but the people around me change the way they act because I'm now considered a different person. This doesn't very often lead to a friendship of any sort.
On the other side of the coin, if I'm to tell someone that I'm gay into a well-established friendship, there's no difference in their perception of me, because they've gotten to know the person I am. It might even change their views, it has in one case one of my close friends was originally quite homophobic but when I told him about me, nothing changed. I actually find that quite amusing, how discursive people can be.

One final topic I wanted to bring up which hasn't been mentioned directly is heterosexuality. Paraphrased as being "Everything about a gay man except sexual orientation," is this not calling upon societal stereotypes to identify someone who seems like a gay person? I can't quite remember the point I was going to make with this, but there's no reason it can't be discussed...

 

[Sic Semper Tyranosaurus]

It's not who you sleep with, it's who you dream about sleeping with, etc, etc, etc.

 

[adelicatedoll]

I liked the second comment to this thread. It was pretty funny. But, I don't think sexuality = actions. I knew two people in school who were gay. One of them tried really hard to hide it. Although that was a family issue. If his family had found out, they probably would have disowned him. But, when I found out, it really didn't change how I felt about him and I never even knew he was gay until he told me. But then I knew someone else too who was openly gay. He was one of those people who you would look at them and think, "Wow, he must be gay." That's probably the wrong mindset, but it's what people thought. And he was okay with it. I don't think sexuality has anything to do with our actions, because men who are gay can be gay without being pedophiles. Lesbians can be lesbians without being masculine. Anyone can commit violent crimes. Wasn't there something on the news a long time ago about a woman running her husband over? And another one about her cutting off her husbands penis? So, everyone is capable of a violent crime, penis or no penis. And, I knew someone who was into the whips and chains, but he didn't worship Satan. He didn't believe in God either, but *shrugs*, he didn't believe in God before he realized he was into the whips and chains.