sexual orientation
Let an agent explain sexual orientation as a concept, relay research, terminology and legal protections from psychological, demographic and legal sources with attribution, describe sexual identity and demographics, and distinguish sexual orientation from sexual behaviour, gender identity and romantic orientation, presenting the topic respectfully and neutrally.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain sexual orientation as a concept, relay research, terminology and legal protections from psychological, demographic and legal sources with attribution, describe sexual identity and demographics, and distinguish sexual orientation from sexual behaviour, gender identity and romantic orientation, presenting the topic respectfully and neutrally.
An enduring pattern of emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to people of a particular sex or gender, or to more than one, or to none, commonly described as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or asexual, along with the identity a person adopts on that basis; the registry aliases also name demographics of sexual orientation, unlabeled sexuality, and terms from online and fan communities such as aplatonicism, megasexuality and player-determined sexuality in games. Sexual orientation is treated as personal data in privacy law and is protected against discrimination in many jurisdictions.
What it is for: Not applicable; a personal characteristic.
It can be explain the concept; relay research and terminology; describe legal protections; distinguish related concepts.
Distinguishing features
Attraction pattern
Identity dimension
Protected characteristic
Researched demographics
What it looks like
Not a visible object; a personal characteristic.
Physical character
APA position: not a choice, not a disorder note - American Psychological Association
adults identifying as LGB, US: about 7 percent - 2020s surveys
GDPR: special category data note - article 9
How it is recognised
Pattern of attraction and related identity
Heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual; sexual identity; unlabeled sexuality; demographics of sexual orientation
Behaviour is what people do; gender identity is sense of own gender; romantic orientation concerns romantic attraction
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - in privacy law, in registry terms
is distinct from - a different characteristic
is protected by - in many jurisdictions
In practice
Families and kinds
heterosexuality
homosexuality
bisexuality and pansexuality
asexuality and related orientations
unlabeled and questioning identities
community terms such as aplatonicism and megasexuality
fictional and player-determined sexuality in games
Standards and regulation
Anti-discrimination laws and the Yogyakarta Principles
GDPR and other privacy laws treating orientation as sensitive data
APA and WHO positions on orientation and health
Failure modes and hazards
Disrespectful or pathologising framing
Confusing orientation with behaviour or gender identity
Registry aliases mixing scholarly, community and game terms
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What sexual orientation is.
Attribution.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is sexual orientation, and how does it differ from sexual behaviour, gender identity and romantic orientation? definition
- Is the question about the concept, research, law, terminology or a personal matter needing support? boundary
Terms
Terms.
Terms
Terms.
- What do heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, unlabeled and community terms such as aplatonicism mean? definition
- Which entry fits the specific term? action
Research Research.
Attribution.
Science
Science.
Science
Science.
- What does research say about the origins and stability of orientation, with findings attributed? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Demographics
Demographics.
Demographics
Demographics.
- How is orientation measured in surveys, and what do demographic studies show? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Law Law and society.
Regulation.
Rights
Rights.
Rights
Rights.
- How do anti-discrimination and privacy laws protect sexual orientation? provenance
- Which entry fits LGBT rights? action
Debates
Debates.
Debates
Debates.
- What debates exist about terminology, measurement and policy, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation respectful and neutral? boundary
Context History and culture.
Context.
History
History.
History
History.
- How did the concept and its terminology develop? provenance
- Which entry fits the history of sexuality? action
Media
Media and games.
Media
Media.
- How is orientation represented in media and games, including player-determined sexuality? provenance
- Which entry fits representation in video games? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should sexual identity and demographics of sexual orientation be separate primary entries?
- How should psychological and legal sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases from community and game contexts; should they be split off?