Sexual orientation is such a misleading terminology.
It all comes down to attraction. There are many types of attraction as we all know it:
Physical
Psychological
Sexual
Emotional
Spiritual
Mental
Etc…..the list goes on
To me, someone who is gay/homosexual is someone who is attracted to someone of the same sex physically, psychologically, sexually, emotionally, spiritually, mentally and so on.
Likewise heterosexual is someone who is attracted to someone of the opposite sex physically, psychologically, sexually, emotionally, spiritually, mentally and so on.
Sexual orientation is an attraction on all levels, not just sexually. Many gay couples don’t actually have sex with each other.
A heterosexual who might be physically attracted to another person of the same sex doesn’t make them gay or homosexual, because they are NOT attracted to the same sex on all levels of attraction.
Obviously, the universe is miraculously, attraction is not just that simple where we can just categorise people into two main groups gay or straight. When you throw in gender identity in there as well, there is a whole new dimension to this discussion.
There are also 3 types of sexual orientation:
1. The sexual orientation you categorise yourself in and let people know you are in
2. The sexual orientation you behave yourself in (whether you practice homosexual or heterosexual sex/ relationships etc)
3. The sexual orientation you are truly born in (something you can’t change)
Sexual orientation is also a continuant of a range of possibilities, from the fully gay to bi to fully straight. Anyone can be somewhere in between.
It is so complex, it is best not to have to categorise it at all. But then again, society needs practicality. We need to put people in categories to simplify things…
So I say, if someone wants to be identify as straight even though they only have gay relationships or have gay sex, so be it. It is who they are or at least it is who they like to be known as who they are.
I hope this is helpful. I have a lot to say about gender identity too, but decided not too bombard this thread too much. Thanks for reading
