Becoming aware of your sexuality - Information for teens
At a certain time in your life you are going to start developing feelings towards other people - romantic feelings. This takes place when you are going through puberty.
source
You can be attracted to the opposite sex or the same sex, or to both.
Being gay, lesbian or bisexual is not something that a person decides on. It is something that comes naturally to them and it can be difficult to accept. It is nowadays easier to let people know about your sexual preferences, but for some teenagers they will still go through a whole lot of teasing and bullying and therefore will rather keep quiet about it.
This can be a lonely road to walk and it can take time before you figure it out or decide to stand up for yourself and let people know who you are and accept that not all people will be okay with this.
The key here is to love yourself enough and be true to yourself, even if others do not accept it, it must not define you what others will think.
Take your time figuring yourself out, there is no time limit to it.
If you are busy growing up you will start thinking about feelings more and more - some will think about the opposite sex and some will wonder about the same sex and some will experiment to figure out where they fit in.
Do not feel pressured to put yourself in a box or figure out how you feel to put a label on it, as long as you are true to yourself and your feelings, things will work themselves out.
If somebody tells you they are gay
Remember that you do not want to be a bully, so if somebody tells you they are gay or bisexual, try and respect that. You do not have to understand it, but the fact that they are gay or bisexual has not changed who they are. They are still the exact same person they were before they told you about their sexuality.
You can read more about hate crimes and bullying on https://www.healthforteens.co.uk/feelings/bullying/bullying-just-the-facts/
Remember that it was not easy for this person to admit it in the first place - do not be a homophobic. Make sure they know that you respect their choices and that it changes nothing.
I feel so alone
Not everybody has the luxury of parents and friends that understand and accept them and it can be very difficult to cope on your own with this 'secret'. You do not have to go through it alone. Speak to a teacher or counselor or any other adult in your family that you know will understand. You can also attend meetings or find out if there is a helpline that you can contact in your area.
Some people know from a young age they are gay and others only figure it out later. No matter how, when and where you figure it out, you have the right to be heard and accepted.
