5.2 Trans identity and sexuality
It is a common mistake for people to confuse gender and sexuality. Although gender and sexuality do have a relationship with one another, they are not the same thing. The UK Government's National LGBT Survey (2018) tells us just 9.4% of trans respondents were straight, and 73.1% were gay/lesbian, bi, pan, or queer, while 5.4% specified asexual. And yet, trans people who are not straight after transition still face extra barriers to understanding and acceptance, and there is still confusion among some people that trans people are ‘really gay’ (as in gay and cis).
Activity 5.3: Patrick and Jake – session 12
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Here is therapist Ellis Johnson talking a little more about the difference between gender and sexuality:
Download this video clip.Video player: ellis_johnson_section_5.2.mp4
Transcript
ELLIS JOHNSON:
It's really useful to do a little bit of work around understanding the differences and overlaps between sex, sexuality, and gender. Try not to get the three things confused even if there are overlaps and try not to assume that one will impact the other. So, for example, it's important to understand that your gender is not your sexuality. So, your gender identity is not the same thing as understanding who you're attracted to. Some of the words sort of conflate and are impacted by one another, but they're not the same thing. So, understanding those three differences and their overlaps can be a really profound beginning in starting to understand trans identities.
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5.1 Co-occurring issues and how we view them