Biological factors / Choice / Environment Demographics / History Gender role / Gender identity Human sexual behavior / Animal sexuality Critiques of sexual behavior Gay rights / Laws / Same-sex marriage Homophobia / Biphobia / Psychology Medical science / Gay community Two-Spirit / Violence against LGBT people History of the Gay Community Christianity / ...

Including:

• Bisexuality - Description
• Bisexuality - Bisexuality in history
• Bisexuality - Ancient Greece
• Bisexuality - Middle Eastern cultures
• Bisexuality - Modern Western prevalence of bisexuality
• Bisexuality - Social status of bisexuality
• Bisexuality - Terminology
• Bisexuality - Bisexuality in modern Western entertainment
• Bisexuality - Bisexuality in animals

Read more here: » Bisexuality: Encyclopedia - Bisexuality

Biological factors / Choice / Environment Demographics / History Gender role / Gender identity Human sexual behavior / Animal sexuality Critiques of sexual behavior Gay rights / Laws / Same-sex marriage Homophobia / Biphobia / Psychology Medical science / Gay community Two-Spirit / Violence against LGBT people History of the Gay Community Christianity / Islam / ...

Including:

• Gay - Etymology
• Gay - Etymology of the modern usage
• Gay - Syntax
• Gay - Folk etymologies
• Gay - Commonly accepted usage
• Gay - Sexual orientation
• Gay - Gay community
• Gay - Descriptor
• Gay - Pejorative usage
• Gay - Alternate spellings

Read more here: » Gay: Encyclopedia - Gay

Lesbians often attract media attention, particularly in relation to feminism, love and sexual relationships, marriage and parenting. Lesbian - Mainstream broadcast media. In television, the number of lesbian couples portrayed is generally less than the number of gay male couples. Notable lesbian couples on television include: Tara Maclay and Willow Rosenberg in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lindsay Peterson and Melanie Marcus in Queer as Folk Maia Jefferies and Jay C ...

See also:

Lesbian, Lesbian - Etymology of lesbian, Lesbian - Public policy regarding, Lesbian - Reproduction and parenting rights, Lesbian - Sexuality, Lesbian - Culture, Lesbian - Modern day, Lesbian - Media depictions, Lesbian - Mainstream broadcast media, Lesbian - Cinema, Lesbian - Feminism, Lesbian - Transwomen and trans-inclusion, Lesbian - Magazines, Lesbian - Media depictions

Read more here: » Lesbian: Encyclopedia II - Lesbian - Media depictions

There is no scientifically proven cause of transsexualism. However, many theories have been proposed which suggest that the cause of transsexualism has its roots in biology. Because of this, the medical care profession is increasingly viewing transsexuality not as a psychological issue, but as a physical one. But many religious conservatives and others still believe that the causes of transsexualism are predominantly psychological. See also:

Transsexuality, Transsexuality - Definitions, Transsexuality - Terminology, Transsexuality - Causes of transsexualism, Transsexuality - Proposed psychological causes, Transsexuality - Physical causes, Transsexuality - Objections against research of causes, Transsexuality - Gender reassignment therapy, Transsexuality - Psychological treatment, Transsexuality - Requirements for gender reassignment treatment, Transsexuality - Hormone replacement therapy, Transsexuality - Sex reassignment surgery, Transsexuality - Legal and social aspects, Transsexuality - Stealth, Transsexuality - Transsexual youth, Transsexuality - Coming out, Transsexuality - Puberty, Transsexuality - Ensuring the child's security, Transsexuality - Retransitions, Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media, Transsexuality - Transsexuals in non-Western cultures

Read more here: » Transsexuality: Encyclopedia II - Transsexuality - Causes of transsexualism

Lesbians often attract media attention, particularly in relation to feminism, love and sexual relationships, marriage and parenting. Lesbian - Mainstream broadcast media. In television, the number of lesbian couples portrayed is generally less than the number of gay male couples. Notable lesbian couples on television include: Tara Maclay and Willow Rosenberg in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lindsay Peterson and Melanie Marcus in Queer as Folk Maia Jefferies and Jay C ...

See also:

Lesbian, Lesbian - Etymology of lesbian, Lesbian - Public policy, Lesbian - Reproduction and parenting rights, Lesbian - Sexuality, Lesbian - Culture, Lesbian - Media depictions, Lesbian - Mainstream broadcast media, Lesbian - Cinema, Lesbian - Feminism, Lesbian - Transwomen and trans-inclusion, Lesbian - Magazines, Lesbian - Media depictions

Read more here: » Lesbian: Encyclopedia II - Lesbian - Media depictions

Historical and literary records from most literate societies indicate that male bisexuality was common and indeed expected. These relationships were generally age-structured (as in the practice of pederasty in the Mediterranean Basin of antiquity, or the practice of shudo in pre-modern Japan) or gender-structured (as in the Two-Spirit North American tradition or the Central Asian bacchá practices). Male heterosexuality and homosexuality, while also documented, appear mostly as exceptions, unless we are examining cultures influenced by the A ...

See also:

Bisexuality, Bisexuality - Description, Bisexuality - Bisexuality in history, Bisexuality - Ancient Greece, Bisexuality - Middle Eastern cultures, Bisexuality - Modern Western prevalence of bisexuality, Bisexuality - Social status of bisexuality, Bisexuality - Terminology, Bisexuality - Bisexuality in modern Western entertainment, Bisexuality - Bisexuality in animals

Read more here: » Bisexuality: Encyclopedia II - Bisexuality - Bisexuality in history

Historically, lesbians have been involved in womens' rights. Late in the 19th Century, the term Boston marriage was used to describe romantic unions between women living together while contributing to the suffrage movement. Continuing a tradition of inclusive acceptance, in 2004 Massachusetts became the first American state to legalize same-sex marriages.[1] During the 1970s and 80s, with the emergence of modern feminism and the radical feminism movement, lesbian separatism became popular, and groups of lesbian women cam ...

See also:

Lesbian, Lesbian - Etymology of lesbian, Lesbian - Public policy, Lesbian - Reproduction and parenting rights, Lesbian - Sexuality, Lesbian - Culture, Lesbian - Media depictions, Lesbian - Mainstream broadcast media, Lesbian - Cinema, Lesbian - Feminism, Lesbian - Transwomen and trans-inclusion, Lesbian - Magazines, Lesbian - Media depictions

Read more here: » Lesbian: Encyclopedia II - Lesbian - Feminism

After this level of transition and development has been achieved, some transsexual men and women may wish to blend in with other members of their new sex, and will avoid revealing their past. They do this believing that it will provide greater peace and security on the other side of a stressful and potentially dangerous transition, and/or because they wish to be seen only as members of their target sex, not as transsexuals. This behaviour, known as stealth, is recognized by most people in the transsexual community as an individ ...

See also:

Transsexuality, Transsexuality - Definitions, Transsexuality - Terminology, Transsexuality - Causes of transsexualism, Transsexuality - Proposed psychological causes, Transsexuality - Physical causes, Transsexuality - Objections against research of causes, Transsexuality - Gender reassignment therapy, Transsexuality - Psychological treatment, Transsexuality - Requirements for gender reassignment treatment, Transsexuality - Hormone replacement therapy, Transsexuality - Sex reassignment surgery, Transsexuality - Legal and social aspects, Transsexuality - Stealth, Transsexuality - Transsexual youth, Transsexuality - Coming out, Transsexuality - Puberty, Transsexuality - Ensuring the child's security, Transsexuality - Retransitions, Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media, Transsexuality - Transsexuals in non-Western cultures

Read more here: » Transsexuality: Encyclopedia II - Transsexuality - Stealth

While rare, transsexuals sometimes choose to retransition to their original sex. However, every recent study done on the number of these cases states that their number is well below 1%, and that the reasons for retransitioning are very diverse. See this article in the International Journal of Transgenderism for examples. These cases are often cited as reasons for the lengthy triadic process outlined in the Standards of Care, which specifies a treatment process combining psychological, hormonal, and surgical care. While many hav ...

See also:

Transsexuality, Transsexuality - Definitions, Transsexuality - Terminology, Transsexuality - Causes of transsexualism, Transsexuality - Proposed psychological causes, Transsexuality - Physical causes, Transsexuality - Objections against research of causes, Transsexuality - Gender reassignment therapy, Transsexuality - Psychological treatment, Transsexuality - Requirements for gender reassignment treatment, Transsexuality - Hormone replacement therapy, Transsexuality - Sex reassignment surgery, Transsexuality - Legal and social aspects, Transsexuality - Stealth, Transsexuality - Transsexual youth, Transsexuality - Coming out, Transsexuality - Puberty, Transsexuality - Ensuring the child's security, Transsexuality - Retransitions, Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media, Transsexuality - Transsexuals in non-Western cultures

Read more here: » Transsexuality: Encyclopedia II - Transsexuality - Retransitions

Different individuals begin to come to terms with their gender identity during many different stages in their life. In most cases, the transsexual condition becomes apparent at some time in childhood, sometimes in very early childhood, where the child may be expressing behaviour incongruent with, and dissatisfaction related to, his or her assigned gender. Most of the time, though, these children try to hide their being different as soon as they experience rejection resulting from their differences. < ...

See also:

Transsexuality, Transsexuality - Definitions, Transsexuality - Terminology, Transsexuality - Causes of transsexualism, Transsexuality - Proposed psychological causes, Transsexuality - Physical causes, Transsexuality - Objections against research of causes, Transsexuality - Gender reassignment therapy, Transsexuality - Psychological treatment, Transsexuality - Requirements for gender reassignment treatment, Transsexuality - Hormone replacement therapy, Transsexuality - Sex reassignment surgery, Transsexuality - Legal and social aspects, Transsexuality - Stealth, Transsexuality - Transsexual youth, Transsexuality - Coming out, Transsexuality - Puberty, Transsexuality - Ensuring the child's security, Transsexuality - Retransitions, Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media, Transsexuality - Transsexuals in non-Western cultures

Read more here: » Transsexuality: Encyclopedia II - Transsexuality - Transsexual youth

Male-to-female transsexuals are commonly featured in pornography. When depicted without having undergone vaginoplasty, they are usually referred to as "shemales". While some pre-op transwomen call themselves and others like them "shemales," the term is regarded as offensive by many transsexuals. Transsexualism is often presented in popular media as a joke. Films containing serious depictions of transgender issues include The World According to Garp and The Crying Game. The film Different for Girls is notable for a ...

See also:

Transsexuality, Transsexuality - Definitions, Transsexuality - Terminology, Transsexuality - Causes of transsexualism, Transsexuality - Proposed psychological causes, Transsexuality - Physical causes, Transsexuality - Objections against research of causes, Transsexuality - Gender reassignment therapy, Transsexuality - Psychological treatment, Transsexuality - Requirements for gender reassignment treatment, Transsexuality - Hormone replacement therapy, Transsexuality - Sex reassignment surgery, Transsexuality - Legal and social aspects, Transsexuality - Stealth, Transsexuality - Transsexual youth, Transsexuality - Coming out, Transsexuality - Puberty, Transsexuality - Ensuring the child's security, Transsexuality - Retransitions, Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media, Transsexuality - Transsexuals in non-Western cultures

Read more here: » Transsexuality: Encyclopedia II - Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media

Male-to-female transsexuals are commonly featured in pornography. Typically depicted without having had vaginoplasty, they are usually referred to as "shemales" (a term regarded as offensive by many transsexuals). Transsexualism is often presented in popular media as a joke. Films containing serious depictions of transgender issues include The World According to Garp and The Crying Game. The film Different for Girls is notable for a sensitive depiction of a male-to-female transsexual who meets up with, and forms a ...

See also:

Transsexuality, Transsexuality - Definitions, Transsexuality - Terminology, Transsexuality - Causes of transsexualism, Transsexuality - Proposed psychological causes, Transsexuality - Physical causes, Transsexuality - Objections against research of causes, Transsexuality - Gender reassignment therapy, Transsexuality - Psychological treatment, Transsexuality - Requirements for gender reassignment treatment, Transsexuality - Hormone replacement therapy, Transsexuality - Sex reassignment surgery, Transsexuality - Legal and social aspects, Transsexuality - Stealth, Transsexuality - Transsexual youth, Transsexuality - Coming out, Transsexuality - Puberty, Transsexuality - Ensuring the child's security, Transsexuality - Retransitions, Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media, Transsexuality - Transsexuals in non-Western cultures

Read more here: » Transsexuality: Encyclopedia II - Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media

After this level of transition and development has been achieved, some transsexual men and women may wish to blend in with other members of their new sex, and will avoid revealing their past. They do this believing that it will provide greater peace and security on the other side of a stressful and potentially dangerous transition. This behaviour, known as stealth, is recognized by most people in the transsexual community as an individual decision one must make. Some, however, within and outside the transsexual community, feel ...

See also:

Transsexuality, Transsexuality - Definitions, Transsexuality - Terminology, Transsexuality - Causes of transsexualism, Transsexuality - Proposed psychological causes, Transsexuality - Physical causes, Transsexuality - Objections against research of causes, Transsexuality - Gender reassignment therapy, Transsexuality - Psychological treatment, Transsexuality - Requirements for gender reassignment treatment, Transsexuality - Hormone replacement therapy, Transsexuality - Sex reassignment surgery, Transsexuality - Legal and social aspects, Transsexuality - Stealth, Transsexuality - Transsexual youth, Transsexuality - Coming out, Transsexuality - Puberty, Transsexuality - Ensuring the child's security, Transsexuality - Retransitions, Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media, Transsexuality - Transsexuals in non-Western cultures

Read more here: » Transsexuality: Encyclopedia II - Transsexuality - Stealth

Sexual activity between women is as diverse as sex between heterosexuals or gay men. Some women in lesbian relationships do not identify as lesbian, but as bisexual. As with any interpersonal activity, sexual expression depends on the context of the relationship. Like anyone else (regardless of sexuality), lesbians can be promiscuous or committed, ashamed or proud. There is a wide spectrum of lesbian behavior and generalizations can be misleading. Recent cultural changes in western and a few other societies have enabled lesbians to express t ...

See also:

Lesbian, Lesbian - Etymology of lesbian, Lesbian - Public policy, Lesbian - Reproduction and parenting rights, Lesbian - Sexuality, Lesbian - Culture, Lesbian - Media depictions, Lesbian - Mainstream broadcast media, Lesbian - Cinema, Lesbian - Feminism, Lesbian - Transwomen and trans-inclusion, Lesbian - Magazines, Lesbian - Media depictions

Read more here: » Lesbian: Encyclopedia II - Lesbian - Sexuality

In Western societies, explicit prohibitions on women's homosexual behavior have been markedly weaker than those on men's homosexual behavior. In the United Kingdom, lesbianism has never been illegal. Male homosexuality, however, which was criminalised in the late 19th century, occasionally produced a prison sentence and was only legalised in England and Wales in 1967. There are various apocryphal stories about why lesbianism was not criminalised in the UK. One relates that Queen Victoria refused to sign a bill outlawing it, insisting, "ladies did not do such things." However, lesbian publications such as The Well of Lonelin ...

See also:

Lesbian, Lesbian - Etymology of lesbian, Lesbian - Public policy, Lesbian - Reproduction and parenting rights, Lesbian - Sexuality, Lesbian - Culture, Lesbian - Media depictions, Lesbian - Mainstream broadcast media, Lesbian - Cinema, Lesbian - Feminism, Lesbian - Transwomen and trans-inclusion, Lesbian - Magazines, Lesbian - Media depictions

Read more here: » Lesbian: Encyclopedia II - Lesbian - Public policy

See also: Terminology of homosexuality The word lesbian originally referred to an inhabitant of Lesbos, a Greek island located in the East Aegean Sea where the ancient Greek lyric poet Sappho lived in the 6th century BC. Many of her poems are about love between women, although the precise details of Sappho's sexuality are unknown — some ancient accounts describe her as having love affairs with men as well; while one ancient source, Maximus of Tyre, claimed that her relationships with women were purely platonic. In any ...

See also:

Lesbian, Lesbian - Etymology of lesbian, Lesbian - Public policy, Lesbian - Reproduction and parenting rights, Lesbian - Sexuality, Lesbian - Culture, Lesbian - Media depictions, Lesbian - Mainstream broadcast media, Lesbian - Cinema, Lesbian - Feminism, Lesbian - Transwomen and trans-inclusion, Lesbian - Magazines, Lesbian - Media depictions

Read more here: » Lesbian: Encyclopedia II - Lesbian - Etymology of lesbian

Transsexuals enjoy varying degrees of acceptance in non-Western societies. In 1976, the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa to allow people with hormonal disorders to change sex if they wished, as well as change their birth certificates. Before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, there was no particular policy regarding transsexuals. Iranians with the inclination, means and connections could obtain the necessary medical treatment and new identity documents. The new religious government, however, classified ...

See also:

Transsexuality, Transsexuality - Definitions, Transsexuality - Terminology, Transsexuality - Causes of transsexualism, Transsexuality - Proposed psychological causes, Transsexuality - Physical causes, Transsexuality - Objections against research of causes, Transsexuality - Gender reassignment therapy, Transsexuality - Psychological treatment, Transsexuality - Requirements for gender reassignment treatment, Transsexuality - Hormone replacement therapy, Transsexuality - Sex reassignment surgery, Transsexuality - Legal and social aspects, Transsexuality - Stealth, Transsexuality - Transsexual youth, Transsexuality - Coming out, Transsexuality - Puberty, Transsexuality - Ensuring the child's security, Transsexuality - Retransitions, Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media, Transsexuality - Transsexuals in non-Western cultures

Read more here: » Transsexuality: Encyclopedia II - Transsexuality - Transsexuals in non-Western cultures

Throughout history, hundreds of lesbians have been well-known figures in the arts and culture. (See List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people.) Before the influence of European sexology emerged at the turn of the twentieth-century, in cultural terms female homosexuality remained almost invisible as compared to male homosexuality, which was subject to the law and thus more regulated and reported by the press. However with the publication of works by sexologists like Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, Richard von Krafft-Ebing, Havelock Ellis, Edward Carpenter and Magnus Hirschfeld, the concept of active female ...

See also:

Lesbian, Lesbian - Etymology of lesbian, Lesbian - Public policy, Lesbian - Reproduction and parenting rights, Lesbian - Sexuality, Lesbian - Culture, Lesbian - Media depictions, Lesbian - Mainstream broadcast media, Lesbian - Cinema, Lesbian - Feminism, Lesbian - Transwomen and trans-inclusion, Lesbian - Magazines, Lesbian - Media depictions

Read more here: » Lesbian: Encyclopedia II - Lesbian - Culture

Gender terms used to describe transsexual people always relate to the target. For example, a transsexual man is someone who was identified as female at birth owing to his genitals, but identifies as a man and who is transitioning, or has transitioned, to a male social gender role and a male-identified body (an alternative term is female-to-male transsexual or transman; compare also transwoman). One common abbreviation used to clarify involves versions of "assigned-to-target", i.e. female-to-male, or male-to-female. This helps a ...

See also:

Transsexuality, Transsexuality - Definitions, Transsexuality - Terminology, Transsexuality - Causes of transsexualism, Transsexuality - Proposed psychological causes, Transsexuality - Physical causes, Transsexuality - Objections against research of causes, Transsexuality - Gender reassignment therapy, Transsexuality - Psychological treatment, Transsexuality - Requirements for gender reassignment treatment, Transsexuality - Hormone replacement therapy, Transsexuality - Sex reassignment surgery, Transsexuality - Legal and social aspects, Transsexuality - Stealth, Transsexuality - Transsexual youth, Transsexuality - Coming out, Transsexuality - Puberty, Transsexuality - Ensuring the child's security, Transsexuality - Retransitions, Transsexuality - Depictions of transsexuality in the media, Transsexuality - Transsexuals in non-Western cultures

Read more here: » Transsexuality: Encyclopedia II - Transsexuality - Terminology

Comparatively positive and notable portrayals of bisexuality can be found in mainstream movies such as: Goldfish Memory; The Rocky Horror Picture Show; and Henry and June. In popular music, many of the songs of The Smiths are commonly cited as classic examples. In notable graphic novels, Love & Rockets subtly portrays bisexuality. Krazy Kat is an early comic-strip character whose loves are not limited by gender. Notable novels containing significant bisexual characters are: Sean David Wright's Two Fo ...

See also:

Bisexuality, Bisexuality - Description, Bisexuality - Bisexuality in history, Bisexuality - Ancient Greece, Bisexuality - Middle Eastern cultures, Bisexuality - Modern Western prevalence of bisexuality, Bisexuality - Social status of bisexuality, Bisexuality - Terminology, Bisexuality - Bisexuality in modern Western entertainment, Bisexuality - Bisexuality in animals

Read more here: » Bisexuality: Encyclopedia II - Bisexuality - Bisexuality in modern Western entertainment