Editing Sexual orientation (section)

=== Fluidity ===
{{Main|Sexual fluidity}}

Often, sexual orientation and [[sexual orientation identity]] are not distinguished, which can impact accurately assessing sexual identity and whether or not sexual orientation is able to change; sexual orientation identity can change throughout an individual's life, and may or may not align with biological sex, sexual behavior or actual sexual orientation.<ref name="Sinclair">Sinclair, Karen, About Whoever: The Social Imprint on Identity and Orientation, NY, 2013 {{ISBN|9780981450513}}</ref><ref name="Rosario et al.">{{cite journal | last1 = Rosario | first1 = M. | last2 = Schrimshaw | first2 = E. | last3 = Hunter | first3 = J. |last4 = Braun | first4 = L. | year = 2006 | title = Sexual identity development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths: Consistency and change over time | journal = Journal of Sex Research | volume = 43 | issue = 1| pages = 46–58 | doi=10.1080/00224490609552298| pmc = 3215279 | pmid=16817067}}</ref><ref name="Concordance/discordance in SO">{{cite journal|first=Michael W.|last=Ross|author2=Essien, E. James |author3=Williams, Mark L. |author4= Fernandez-Esquer, Maria Eugenia. |title=Concordance Between Sexual Behavior and Sexual Identity in Street Outreach Samples of Four Racial/Ethnic Groups|publisher=American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association|year=2003|pmid=12567166|journal=Sexually Transmitted Diseases|volume=30|issue=2|pages=110–113|doi=10.1097/00007435-200302000-00003|s2cid=21881268}}</ref> Sexual orientation is stable and unchanging for the vast majority of people, but some research indicates that some people may experience change in their sexual orientation, and this is more likely for women than for men.<ref name=fluidity>*{{cite journal|last1=Bailey|first1=J. Michael|last2=Vasey|first2=Paul|last3=Diamond|first3=Lisa|author4-link=Marc Breedlove|last4=Breedlove|first4=S. Marc|last5=Vilain|first5=Eric|last6=Epprecht|first6=Marc|title=Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science|journal=Psychological Science in the Public Interest|date=2016|volume=17|issue=2|pages=45–101|doi=10.1177/1529100616637616|pmid=27113562|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301639075|quote=Sexual fluidity is situation-dependent flexibility in a person’s sexual responsiveness, which makes it possible for some individuals to experience desires for either men or women under certain circumstances regardless of their overall sexual orientation....We expect that in all cultures the vast majority of individuals are sexually predisposed exclusively to the other sex (i.e., heterosexual) and that only a minority of individuals are sexually predisposed (whether exclusively or non-exclusively) to the same sex.|doi-access=free|access-date=2019-09-29|archive-date=2020-06-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611031054/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301639075|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|author1=Dennis Coon|author2=John O. Mitterer|title=Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior with Concept Maps and Reviews|publisher=[[Cengage Learning]]|isbn=978-1111833633|year=2012|page=372|access-date=February 18, 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EYwjCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA372|quote=Sexual orientation is a deep part of personal identity and is usually quite stable. Starting with their earliest erotic feelings, most people remember being attracted to either the opposite sex or the same sex. [...] The fact that sexual orientation is usually quite stable doesn't rule out the possibility that for some people sexual behavior may change during the course of a lifetime.}}
*{{cite book|author1=Eric Anderson|author2=Mark McCormack|title=The Changing Dynamics of Bisexual Men's Lives|chapter=Measuring and Surveying Bisexuality|publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]]|isbn=978-3-319-29412-4|year=2016|page=47|access-date=June 22, 2019|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7_AgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA47|quote=[R]esearch suggests that women's sexual orientation is slightly more likely to change than men's (Baumeister 2000; Kinnish et al. 2005). The notion that sexual orientation can change over time is known as ''sexual fluidity''. Even if sexual fluidity exists for some women, it does not mean that the majority of women will change sexual orientations as they age – rather, sexuality is stable over time for the majority of people.|archive-date=August 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824071645/https://books.google.com/books?id=7_AgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA47|url-status=live}}</ref> The American Psychological Association distinguishes between sexual orientation (an innate attraction) and sexual orientation identity (which may change at any point in a person's life).<ref name=apa2009-2>{{cite web|title=Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation|publisher=[[American Psychological Association]]|pages=63, 86|date=2009|access-date=February 3, 2015|url=http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/publications/therapeutic-response.pdf|archive-date=June 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603121635/http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/publications/therapeutic-response.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>