SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS AND GENDER IDENTITIES

Sexual orientations are defined as the pattern of sexual, erotic or loving attraction towards a
certain group of people defined by their gender or sex and these can be:

Homosexual: This is known as people who are erotically and sentimentally attracted to people of
the same sex. Within this, women with erotic-affective attractions are called lesbians, and men
who are attracted to other men in an erotic and/or emotional way are called Gay.

Heterosexual: People who direct their erotic-affective attention towards people of the opposite sex
(man and woman, woman and man)

Bisexual: This is defined as people whose erotic and emotional desire can be focused both on
people of the same sex or on people of a different sex whom they distinguish as different from
their own.

Intersex: A person who is perceived to present both primary and secondary sexual characteristics
of both sexes, without necessarily one being greater or predominant over the other.

Gender identity is the way in which each person distinguishes or perceives themselves and how
they want other people to perceive them, regardless of the sex with which they were born or the
gender that was given or assigned to them. Transgender people are those who cross or move in the
identity of genders which are not conventional.

Based on factors such as frequency and intensity with which they move, it is called:

Transformers: The transformer is a person who, through a costume or characterization, normally

becomes a different character, usually of the opposite sex. This doesn't have to be related to your
sexual identity.

Transvestites: They are those who voluntarily put on elements or objects that are opposite to their
gender. Transvestites take on characteristics and physical and psychological aspects concerning the
opposite sex, that is, they adopt attitudes that are socially used by the opposite sex. These people
who permanently assume behaviors or behaviors assigned to people of the opposite sex.

Transsexuals: is a term that is usually used for people who have completed their change towards
the desired gender. This means those who have had genital reassignment surgery or who consider
such surgery fundamental to their gender identity. These people do not have ownership of the
biological sex with which they were born and in many cases they resort to sex reassignment
surgery.

MYTHS AND REALITIES ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY.

Several myths have been identified around sexual orientation and gender identity that are then
contrasted with reality. Knowing them will allow people with this condition to better understand.
Here is a list and a more exact explanation of the projection of each myth.

Myth: sexual orientation or sexual condition is a disease.

The reality is that before 1973 it was considered a mental illness, but in later years (May 17, 1990)
the world health organization with its acronym WHO formally decreed it, making it the year 2005.
that more than 40 countries decided to consolidate the aforementioned date as the World Day
against Homophobia, thus creating a precedent for the events that have marked to this day,
creating a path for gender diversity and a union between them independently of each other. its
orientation.

Myth: gays are mannered and lesbians have a ruder character and way of being.

The reality is that every person (homosexual, transsexual or heterosexual) can have very marked
masculine or feminine behaviors, but it will depend more on character or personality than anything
else.

Myth: Homosexuality or transsexuality are the result of family conflicts, psychological or physical
abuse, or the absence of a person who reaffirms the gender with which it was assigned.

The reality is that the aforementioned is not what determines whether a person is homosexual or
transsexual. That is what nature indicates.

Myth: homosexuality and transsexuality are influenceable or contagious.

The reality is that there are no studies that confirm this, gender orientation or identity are their
own and defined by the nature with which the person perceives themselves.

Myth: both homosexuals and transsexuals are prone to committing crimes, especially those of a
sexual nature.

The reality is that gender orientation or identity does not constitute a cause for these crimes.
Statistics show that a higher percentage of heterosexual men are those who commit these crimes.

STRATEGIES THAT FACILITATE CARE FOR PEOPLE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF GUIDANCE
SEXUAL AND GENDER IDENTITY.

It is worth remembering that sexual orientation or gender diversity are not diseases; these doubts
were clarified in 1973 when a group of psychiatrists gave clarity and removed this type of
orientation from mental illnesses.

Advising people could lead to erratic behavior since it can create psychological confusion and lead
to depressive points. Talk, get to know your position and your feelings before giving a “correction”
to your position.

Although the genders and their erotic-affective attractions are known, the fact that a person wants
to be with another of the same gender does not define them as homosexual. Please note that
sexual practices are not synonymous with particular gender identities.

Currently "coming out of the closet" (Expression used where it is defined that a person who hides
his sexual orientation due to external factors is willing to make it known) Let us understand that
this is due to the reactions or dangers that it may generate.

When a space is given for a consultation aimed at sexual orientation or gender diversity, factors
must be considered that allow the person to talk about their private life and that these can occur in
comfortable spaces to talk.

Avoiding as much as possible giving unequal treatment to displays of affection, categorizing what is
correct for being heterosexual and what is incorrect for being homosexual creates conflicts of a
social nature, but beyond that, it creates an erroneous image of good or bad.

Keeping the information that the user has shared absolutely confidential, since some of these users
do not want their sexual orientation or gender identity to be known, is respectable and their
wishes must be fulfilled.

Verbal abuse should be avoided, or aggression in any form, respect for the user's integrity should
be important.

We must be aware of our attitudes towards people or behaviors that do not conform to their
gender; this could create discomfort in the user and, in turn, generate difficulties in providing care.

People with sexual or gender diversity do not belong to a social group, religious creed, physical
condition, age, etc. This is not grouped, but within each group (majority or minority) there will be
people with different sexual or gender diversity.