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Hiding one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity and not being able to express one’s own needs for a long time may be a very stressful and frustrating experience. The coming out process can therefore be very painful, and is often associated with risks and fears of being rejected, ridiculed, bullied or even physically attacked. LGBT+ people often live in environments that are hostile to people who do not conform to traditional norms. Coming out usually starts with acknowledging one’s own sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and accepting it. However, it is not obligatory to come out, and should always be a matter of personal choice whether to tell others, or not: no-one should be forced or pressured to do so. It usually starts with friends, acquaintances and family members. This process is called ‘coming out’ or ‘coming out of the closet’. LBGT+ people may decide to make their sexual orientation and/or gender identity public. There are also other terms describing sexual orientation: monosexual (people who feel attracted to people of one gender) or plurisexual (people who are attracted to people of multiple genders).
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Sexual orientation is not a matter of choice or preference and it cannot be altered at will. There is no agreement as to what determines sexual orientation: current research takes into account biological factors, such as genes, brain structure or hormones, as well as other factors, such as environment. They may, at the same time, engage in sexual relationships with people of the opposite sex, but do not want to be identified as bisexual. There are men who have sex with men, or women who have sex with other women, but who do not see themselves as homosexual. Furthermore, some people may decide not to identify themselves with a particular sexual orientation. Sexual orientation should be seen on a continuum from heterosexual to homosexual, with many options in between. These three categories are by no means the only labels that describe the variety of sexual identifications. homosexual (attraction to people of the same sex).
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