Sexuality: Special Discussion

[Jess1-RO]

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!

[Jess1-RO]

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/articles/helens-story-about-coming-out

https://au.reachout.com/articles/how-brisbane-hustlers-helped-gwyn-accept-himself

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

[Jay-RO]

Hey there everyone! The first sexuality discussion for this month is up here!

If you have some time today, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the above videos from two young people sharing their stories and what was your key takeaway from these videos- what resonated for you?

@DIVYA @dog_lover94 @FootyFan26 @Hozzles @I_am_not_Groot @Jane_Rose @Ladybug @lennycat2017 @LovesFood @lr8991 @Mcro @MisoBear @missyj @mspaceK @queenP @scared01 @skyedre @statuscaring @Sunflower18 @Tasi @WheresMySquishy @Asche @Bee @ecla34 @ErinsAntics @Esperanza67 @letitgo @linkinpark13 @lokifish @May_ @missep @N1ghtW1ng @Puppies026 @blobby @SomeoneNADJS @Tiny_leaf @unwind @Bananatime04 @Brendos94 @Cheeseburger @keezeik @Matty D @MemphisBelle @Saltwaterdreamtime @xXLexi_Lou122Xx @DruidChild @Beautifullybroken @Blurryphaced @Charlie-29-1999 @dragon3 @Dyl @hellofriend @indieinsanus @Lonelyboy17 @Mrstweety5482 @nyke @rainbowpotato @skyfireinferno99 @SNUFFLES @not-an-otter

[scared01]

just tagging myself here @Jess1-RO ill have a better look at the videos tomorrow

[ecla34]

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  

[Mcro]

What brave, beautiful and incredible people they are!! <3 <3 <3 

[Esperanza67]

I agree with @ecla34, I really enjoyed hearing both Helen and Gwyn's stories <3.

What was your key takeaway from these videos- what resonated for you?

That support is so, so important when coming out. Both Helen and Gwyn's stories show that support from their families was really important in their coming out with their respective sexualities. Gwyn's story particularly resonated with me, given that we both share a similar cultural background (I'm also Filipino and grew up in a Catholic family) and so I could relate to his struggles of coming out given his cultural background.

[Jess1-RO]

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!

[WheresMySquishy]

What was your key takeaway from these videos- what resonated for you?

It really resonated with me how much better you can feel when you are true to yourself, especially when other people support you and not try to pressure you into being the person that they want you to be. Everyone is different and that's okay. We just have to accept people as they are and hope that they do the same for us. Being able to feel confident in yourself is a truly amazing feeling. It can be really hard and take a long time to learn to love yourself, but the benefits are worth it in the end. Support can also come from unexpected places. It's easy to be let down and expect that people will react badly when we open up to others and make ourselves vulnerable. But there is also a chance that people will be supportive of us.

[recharging_introvert]

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.