Questioning (sexuality and gender)

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The questioning of one's sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender, or all three^[1][2] is a process of exploration by people who may be unsure, still exploring, or concerned about applying a social label to themselves for various reasons.^[3][4] The letter "Q" is sometimes added to the end of the acronym LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender); the "Q" can refer to either queer or questioning.^[5][6]

Sexual orientation, sexual identity, or gender does not always coincide with one other; meaning for example, if an individual identifies themselves as a heterosexual, they may not only be attracted to someone of the opposite sex and have sexual interactions with someone who is of the same sex without necessarily identifying themselves as bisexual.^[7] The understanding that one does not need to apply any type of gender or sexuality label to oneself is relatively publicly and socially prominent in the modern day, along with gender and sexual fluidity, which is also more openly discussed and accepted in today's society.^[8] Individuals who do not identify themselves as male, female, transgender, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual or feel their sexuality is fluid, may refer to themselves as gender neutral, genderqueer, non-binary, or agender.^[9]