Introduction

For my project, I decided to explore how contemporary youth cultures define their sexual orientation beyond simply which sexes they are attracted to. As we've learned throughout the term, there have been a vast range of sexual orientations throughout history. Typically these orientations are defined by third parties: Masturbators, Nymphomaniacs, Homosexuals all were at some point defined and subsequently considered inferior in some way by society. 

In modern times, most people think of Homosexual, Heterosexual or Bisexual when they hear "sexual orientation." These are widely accepted terms when referring to sexual orientation in contemporary society.

 

I decided to zoom in on these distinctions and find out how different communities further define their sexuality within the invented categories of straight/gay. The important point in this is that I wanted to see how these communities defined their own sexual orientations, hopefully in a positive way, rather than by third parties, as orientations have been historically formed.

I already had a pretty good conception of the way that straight men relate to and divide one another within their communities, so I decided to talk to a handful of people from other communities: homosexual men/women as well as heterosexual women.