Sexual Identity vs. Personal Identity

http://www.dreamresearchgroup.com/2014/01/
sexual-orientation.html

What exactly does sexual identity and personal identity mean and how are they different? According to a definition from Wikipedia, sexual identity is defined as, ‘how one thinks of themselves in terms of who a person is romantically or sexually attracted to.’ Personal identity is defined as, ‘the distinct personality of an individual that is concerned with the continuing entity particular to a given individual.’ So, why do many people think that sexual identity defines a person’s personal identity? Well, while sexual identity is definitely a part of a person’s personal identity, it is not all of it. Sexual identity is purely sexual, things like sexual orientation, who they are attracted to, type of sexual interaction,  etc. anything that has to do with sex and a person’s preference is their sexual identity.  Sexual identity is one of three aspects of your sexuality, along with sexual orientation and sexual practices (Sexual Identity). Sexual identity doesn’t have to match a person’s sexual practices and sexual orientation, your sexual identity is how you see yourself sexually. A person’s personal identity consists of things like the type of music a person listens to, the type of clothes they wear, whether or not they like to play video games, their likes/dislikes, their morals etc. There was a great quote from a short video called On Sexual Orientation, with Hannah, Ze, Tyler, and Meg. The lesbian on that video said, ‘for me being gay and my personal identity are totally different things, sometimes I wear heels, sometimes I wear combat boots, I like jazz, I love the internet, you know what I mean? That is my personal identity that has absolutely nothing to do with being gay.’ I believe that she hit it spot on!

Works Cited:

On Sexual Orientation. (2013, April 19). YouTube. Retrieved June 6, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKZlIvMuLQ4

Personal Identity. (2014, June 6). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 6, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_identity

Sexual Identity. (n.d.). Your Sex Health. Retrieved June 6, 2014, from http://www.yoursexhealth.org/sexual-identity/

Sexual Identity. (2014, June 6). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 6, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_identity