Sexuality: Special Discussion (June and July 2019)
Sexuality is a really important topic in the forums community, with so many courageous members sharing their experiences and journey of exploring sexuality 
ReachOut has been working hard behind the scenes to create articles for young people and parents around the topic of sexuality, and supporting young people who may be questioning their sexuality.
In the coming month we will have a number of special discussions about sexuality and gender- we hope you are able to join the conversation! We will be starting this discussion today with What is sexuality? and then continuing next week with Why it's okay to question your sexuality – and what you can do about it. Other topics later in July will include Being a part of the bisexual community and Gender so key an eye out for more discussions!
Coming towards the end of pride month, we would love to hear from our community and join in the conversations that will be happening on this thread in the coming weeks! Keep an eye on the monthly calendar (coming Friday!) to see when the next activity will be posted!
What is sexuality?
Sexuality is about understanding the sexual feelings and attractions we feel towards others. There are different types of sexuality, and it can take time to figure out what fits right with you.
Sexuality is unique to every person- everyone is different! Some people are attracted to only one sex, and others are attracted to a diversity of people regardless of sex or gender, with a lot of different preferences in-between.
If you aren’t sure about your sexuality, you are not alone Many young people are still exploring and understanding their sexuality- in time you’ll figure out what feels right for you. For some people this might be choosing to identify with a label related to sexuality, others might not feel they fit with any label or that labels you choose change over time- wherever you are at with understanding your sexuality and who you are attracted to is okay! Exploring sexuality is your journey and uniquely personal to you.
So many young people come to the ReachOut forums and website every year to talk about sexuality, and here are two young people who courageously shared their story with us!
https://au.reachout.com/
https://au.reachout.com/
Activity 1:
What was your key takeaway from these videos- what resonated for you?
Want to read more about sexuality? ReachOut has some great resources here
Those videos were so beautiful to watch It was so amazing listening to such brave people and hearing their stories
What was your key takeaway from these videos- what resonated for you?
The part that really resonated with me for both videos was how much both Helen and Gwyn were able to grow to love themselves, and how much lighter and freer they were once they accepted themselves as they were. (Not necessarily by coming out, like Gwyn said it's okay to come out when you're ready! you don't owe anyone your truth but yourself ) I'm so so happy that they both got there, because it's not an easy journey to work through at any age. Society and the people in your life can make you so afraid and feel so small inside, just for being different, and getting to the stage where you can own who you are despite that is so so powerful
I have really loved reading your reflections @Esperanza67, @Mcro and @ecla34 So powerful to hear your take aways from Helen and Gwyn's stories!
Ecla mentioned "Helen and Gwyn were able to grow to love themselves, and how much lighter and freer they were once they accepted themselves as they were."- this is a message I certainly agree was a stand out for me!
What was your key takeaway from these videos- what resonated for you?
Agreeing with a lot of what is already being said here! Both Helen and Gwyn mention feeling more free and like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders. Coming out is an individual decision that a person is free to make whenever they feel ready but it just shows how heavy the burden of feeling like you need to keep your sexuality hidden is.
