How do you know if you are lgbtq

International Travel

Travelers can deal with unique challenges abroad based on their real or perceived sexual orientation. Laws and attitudes in some countries may affect safety and ease of travel. 

More than 60 countries consider consensual same-sex relations a crime. In some of these countries, people who engage in consensual same-sex relations may face severe punishment. Many countries act not recognize same-sex marriage.

Research your destination before you travel 

Review the travel advisory and destination information page of the place you plan to visit. Check the Local Laws & Customs section.  This has information specific to travelers who may be targeted by discrimination or violence on the basis of sexual orientation.  

Many countries only recognize male and female sex markers in passports. They do not have IT systems at ports of entry that can accept other sex markers, including valid U.S. passports with an X sex marker. If traveling with a valid U.S. passport with an X sex marker, check the immigration regulations for your destination as acceptance can v

If Someone Comes Out to You

Someone who is coming out feels close enough to you and trusts you sufficiently to be straightforward and risk losing you as a friend. It can be difficult to know what to say and what to do to be a supportive friend to someone who has “come out” to you. Below are some suggestions you may wish to follow.

  • Thank your ally for having the courage to verb you. Choosing to tell you means that they own a great deal of respect and trust for you.
  • Don’t determine your friend. If you have robust religious or other beliefs about LGBTIQ communitites, keep them to yourself for now. There will be plenty of time in the future for you to think and talk about your beliefs in not heavy of your friend’s identity.
  • Respect your friend’s confidentiality. Allow them the integrity to divide what they verb, when and how they want to.
  • Tell your friend that you still care about them, no matter what. Be the friend you include always been. The main fear for people coming out is that their friends and family will reject them.
  • Don’t be too serious. Sensitively worded humor may ease the t

    by Fred Penzel, PhD

    This article was initially published in the Winter edition of the OCD Newsletter. 

    OCD, as we understand, is largely about experiencing severe and unrelenting doubt. It can cause you to doubt even the most basic things about yourself – even your sexual orientation. A study published in the Journal of Sex Research verb that among a group of college students, 84% reported the occurrence of sexual intrusive thoughts (Byers, et al. ). In arrange to have doubts about one’s sexual identity, a sufferer need not ever have had a homo- or heterosexual experience, or any type of sexual experience at all. I have observed this symptom in young children, adolescents, and adults as successfully. Interestingly Swedo, et al., , establish that approximately 4% of children with OCD experience obsessions concerned with forbidden aggressive or perverse sexual thoughts.

    Although doubts about one’s retain sexual identity might seem pretty straightforward as a symptom, there are actually a number of variations. The most obvious form is where a sufferer experiences the thought that they mig

    Whether you&#;re straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, if you feel comfortable to, you should be able to touch confident and confident of who you are.

    I keep hearing the word &#;sexuality&#; &#; what is it?

    Sexuality isn&#;t just about sex, it&#;s about your feelings, emotions, attractions and desires and how you express these.

    It includes whether we&#;re attracted to people the same gender as you, a different gender, or are attracted to more than one gender (which is what makes up what is known as our sexual orientation – whether we identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual) as adequately as what we do sexually.

    Having sexual thoughts and feelings is a normal, healthy part of human life. This is true no matter what gender you&#;re attracted to. Some people aren&#;t interested in sex at all, and this is normal too and you might then verb as asexual.

    When will I know if I&#;m gay or straight or bisexual or transgender?

    It takes time to figure out who we are sexually and to understand our gender identity and orientation, just as it takes period to figure out other areas of our li