with labels suddenly entering in to this thread, it should also be mentioned that one's security (or lack thereof) also plays a big part in how all this works out.... some people are simply straight.... they have no interest in homosexual relations, and don't feel any urge or curiosity to do so.... but once that line gets crossed, even in the context of curiosity and fantasy, a person's sense of self security has been disrupted and could spin itself in to all kinds of different directions depending on the circumstances.... some guys who are curious or have experimented with gay sexual relations live very 'straight' lives.... they could be married, have families, or be in circumstances where even the notion of bi-curiosity is shamed by peers and contemporaries.... for this reason, they keep their curiosities or experiences on the DL, and don't change the title of what their sexuality might or might not be.... others have a little more freedom to explore and re-define who they are because they have the support and acceptance of those around and close to them.... then there are those whose sexuality literally does a 1-80 to the point that there is no turning back regardless of whether or not people around them are supportive.... this can trigger major insecurities in some people, which can also cause them to act out, completely internalize their feelings, or worse.... it's one of those crazy life kerfuffles that can make or break a person....
personally, i totally identofy with the asexual thing.... i defined myself as asexual for the longest time simply because my sexuality had not been ignited and propelled in any direction.... it made it easier for me to explore life with out being labeled gay for some of the things i did (such as dance lessons, professional drag, etc...), or labeled straight (because i also got in to things like construction/building, some sports, or some of the 'macho' types who i hung around with....) i didn't feel the need to experiment with the mechanics of sex because i somehow thought that it was time to, or something i was pressured in to.... asexuality made it easier to live my life and do the things i wanted to do without feeling as though i was pidgeon-holing myself to be gay or straight through things that had nothing to do with my sexual orientation....
then when i was 23, a certain individual suddenly 'sparked' something in me that awakened my sexual self.... it was the first time i'd truly experienced 'physical attraction' to someone, and i was proud to have gotten myself to that point without doing or having done anything i regretted or contradicted how i identified myself.... that initial spark with said individual didn't last long, and our physical encounters together didn't even get past the making out phase.... (we only ever took our shirts off when we fooled around....) but that experience brought a new awareness of who i was to light, and i spent the next 3 years exploring it before finally coming out as 100% gay.... (i basically had to wize up and admit to myself that the notion of exchanging sexual energy with a woman actually turned me off....)
for the above reasons, i'm lucky that i was able to come out proudly and without incident.... my peers, family and contemporaries were happy for me, and that i had the conviction to be who i was no matter what i happened to turn out as sexually.... i can't say that i'm proud of or agree with everything to do with homosexuality, but i'm proud of who i am and that's all that matters....