Sexual Attraction and Orientation

As people pass from childhood into their teen years and beyond, their bodies develop and change. So do their emotions and feelings.

Adolescence Is a Time of Change

During the teen years, the hormonal and physical changes of puberty usually mean people start noticing an increase in sexual feelings. It's common to wonder and sometimes worry about new sexual feelings.

It takes time for many people to understand who they are and who they're becoming. Part of that involves better understanding of their own sexual feelings and who they are attracted to.

What Is Sexual Orientation?

Sexual orientation is the emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction that a person feels toward another person. There are several types of sexual orientation; for example:

• Heterosexual. People who are heterosexual are romantically and physically attracted to members of the opposite sex: Heterosexual males are attracted to females, and heterosexual females are attracted to males. Heterosexuals are sometimes called "straight."
• Homosexual. People who are homosexual are romantically and physically attracted to people of the same sex: Females who are attracted to other females are lesbian; males who are attracted to other males are often known as gay. (The term gay is sometimes used to describe homosexual individuals of either sex.)
• Bisexual. People who are bisexual are romantically and physically attracted to members of both sexes.
• Asexual. People who are asexual may not be interested in sex, but they still feel emotionally close to other people.

During the teen years, people often find themselves having sexual thoughts and attractions. For some, these feelings and thoughts can be intense and seem confusing. That can be especially true for people who have romantic or sexual thoughts about someone who is the same sex they are. "What does that mean," they might think. "Am I gay?"

Being interested in someone of the same sex does not necessarily mean that a person is gay — just as being interested in someone of the opposite sex doesn't mean a person is straight. It's common for teens to be attracted to or have sexual thoughts about people of the same sex and the opposite sex. It's one way of sorting through emerging sexual feelings.

Some people might go beyond just thinking about it and experiment with sexual experiences with people of their own sex or of the opposite sex. These experiences, by themselves, do not necessarily mean that a person is gay or straight.

The Importance of Talking

For people of all sexual orientations, learning about sex and relationships can be difficult. It can help to talk to someone about the confusing feelings that go with growing up — whether that someone is a parent or other family member, a close friend or sibling, or a school counselor.

It's not always easy to find somebody to talk to. But many people find that confiding in someone they trust (even if they're not completely sure how that person will react) turns out to be a positive experience.

In many communities, youth groups can provide opportunities for LGBT teens to talk to others who are facing similar issues. Psychologists, psychiatrists, family doctors, and trained counselors can help them cope — confidentially and privately — with the difficult feelings that go with their developing sexuality. They also help people find ways to deal with any peer pressure, harassment, and bullying they might face.

Whether gay, straight, bisexual, or just not sure, almost everyone has questions about physically maturing and about sexual health — like if certain body changes are "normal," what's the right way to behave, or how to avoid sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It's important to find a doctor, nurse, counselor, or other knowledgeable adult to be able to discuss these issues with.

Is Masturbation Healthy?

Lots of people masturbate! Even if they don't talk about it, it’s common for people of any gender or age to do it. Even before puberty, children sometimes discover that touching their genitals feels good. If you have kids and notice them touching their genitals, let them know that masturbating is completely normal, but something they should do in private.

People masturbate for different reasons — it helps them relax, they want to understand their body better, they want to release sexual tension, or their partner isn’t around. But most people masturbate because it feels good. Many people think that masturbation is only something you do when you don’t have a sex partner. But both single people and people in relationships masturbate.  

Some people masturbate often, others rarely, and some people don’t masturbate at all. Different people masturbate in different ways, for different reasons. Masturbation is a totally personal decision, and there’s no “normal” way to go about it.

You may have heard some crazy things about masturbation being bad for you, like it makes you grow hair in weird places; it causes infertility; it shrinks your genitals; or once you start masturbating you’ll become addicted to it. None of that’s true. Masturbation isn’t unhealthy or bad for you at all. Masturbation can actually be good for your health, both mentally and physically. And it’s pretty much the safest sex out there.

Is it OK to masturbate if you’re in a relationship?

Definitely. Lots of people in relationships masturbate. Masturbating when you’re in a relationship doesn’t mean your partner isn’t satisfying you. It’s a great way to figure out what you like and what makes you have an orgasm. Then you can show or tell your partner what feels good. Talking about sex with your partner can make it more fun and can even make your relationship stronger. Some people masturbate at the same time as their partner. It’s a way to be sexual together without having any risk of STDs or pregnancy.

Being Women

“Behind every successful man there is a woman”. Not only in the case of a man but this saying stands for the functioning of the whole world. She is said to be the ultimate strength and support behind the success of an individual. There is a lot of differenciation and discrimination in the name of gender as males and females. Nevertheless this difference do exist in nature from time immemorial.
A female draws out various characteristics which is different from that of a male, varying from factors such as physical, mental. biological and reproductive. These are inborn and inbuilt right from the time a mother concieves a female child.
Womanhood is the period in a females life after she has passed through childhood and adolescence, generally around the age 18. Women have three very important physiological functions totally absent in men--menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation.Each of these mechanisms influences the behavioural patterns of a female greatly. Another such noticable factor could be psycological.
Women prefer to share and care more, she would discuss and figure out a solution for a problem which they face by discussing it with her friends. She is more emotionally depended and possess aa emotional mind when compared to that of men. But men on the other hand seem to be independent and keep things more to themselves. But unfortunately, women are more prone to different types of depressions due to their emotional weakness. Communication skills and emotional intelligence are found to be better in females. They tend to be more group-oriented.
God has created women in such a way that, she can take her generation forward by giving birth to new offsprings. The ideal time to start learning about pregnancy is not when a woman is already pregnant but much before that. For a woman, pregnancy planning means learning everything she can about how her own health and that of her baby can be optimized. She is capable of conceiving from the time she attains puberty till the time of menopause.
A female body is also highly prone to diseases too due to its sensitive features or even due to malnutrition which leads to less immunity. Many such diseases are gallstones, migraine headaches,
osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure(hypertension) etc.
Women with Osteoporosis have weak bones which tend to break. Osteoporosis in the vertebrae can cause serious problems for women. A fracture in this area occurs from day-to-day activities like climbing stairs, lifting objects, or bending forward.
Research has also revealed the genetic and molecular basis of a number of gender-based differences in health and disease, some of which are related to genotype — XX in the female and XY in the male. Due to such less immune resistance women have got higher chances of developing Autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases can affect virtually every site in the body.
Autoimmune diseases affect approximately 8% of the population, 78% of whom are women. It is still unkown as to what reasons are there behind such a prevalence. One of the factors behind it could be genetic as it can be passed on from a mother to her offspring.

Talak-e-biddat (Instant Divorce)

Triple talaq is a 1,400 year-old practice among Sunni Muslims. It is "manifestly arbitrary" and allows a man to "break down (a) marriage whimsically and capriciously”.
Triple talaq as a practice is not mentioned in the Quran or Sharia law. It is also largely disapproved by Muslim legal scholars. Several Islamic countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, have banned it, although it is technically legal in Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. Triple talaq, in Islamic law, is based upon the belief that the husband has the right to reject or dismiss his wife with good grounds. If the wife wants to end her marriage and her husband does not agree to give a talaq, she has to comply with proceedings under the Dissolution of the Muslim Marriages Act. As far as Sharia is concerned she needs to obtain a release from the marriage bond by the husband agreeing to such, by granting a Khula, or if he refuses to seek the dissolution of the marriage (faskh) by order of a sharia court judge (qazi).
Triple talaq is a form of divorce that was practised in India, whereby a Muslim man could legally divorce his wife by pronouncing talaq (the Arabic word for divorce) three times. The pronouncement could be oral or written, or, in recent times, delivered by electronic means such as telephone, SMS, email or social media. The man did not need to cite any cause for the divorce and the wife need not have been present at the time of pronouncement. After a period of iddat, during which it was ascertained whether the wife is pregnant, the divorce became irrevocable. In the recommended practice, a waiting period was required before each pronouncement of talaq, during which reconciliation was attempted. However, it had become common to make all three pronouncements in one sitting. While the practice was frowned upon, it was not prohibited. A divorced woman could not remarry her divorced husband unless she first married another man, a practice called nikah halala. Until she remarried, she retained the custody of male toddlers and prepubescent female children. Beyond those restrictions, the children came under the guardianship of the father.
The bench that heard the controversial Triple talaq case in 2017 was made up of multifaith members. The five judges from five different communities are Chief Justice JS Khehar, a Sikh, Justices Kurian Joseph a Christian, RF Nariman a Parsi, UU Lalit a Hindu and Abdul Nazeer a Muslim. The Supreme Court has to examine whether Triple talaq has the protection of the constitution—if this practice is safeguarded by Article 25(1) in the constitution that guarantees all the fundamental right to “profess, practice and propagate religion”. The Court wants to establish whether or not Triple talaq is an essential feature of Islamic belief and practice. In a 397-page ruling, though two judges upheld validity of Instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat), the three other judges held that it was unconstitutional, thus barring the practice by 3–2 majority. One judge argued that instant triple talaq violated Islamic law. The bench asked the central government to promulgate legislation within six months to govern marriage and divorce in the Muslim community.The court said that until the government formulates a law regarding instant triple talaq, there would be an injunction against husbands pronouncing Instant triple talaq on their wives.

Date Rape Vs Violent Rape

There are various categories of rape basically defined in reference to the circumstances surrounding the act, and the characteristics or sex of the perpetrator and/ or the victim involved. These types include gang rape, incestual rape, war rape, date rape, violent rape, spousal rape-just to mention but a few. Penile penetration may not necessary for an act to constitute rape, because the perpetrator may use objects or hands to stimulate sexual organs.
The alleged offender may also use drugs and activities such as hypnosis to make the victim incapacitated. Rape is done for various reasons including blackmail, sexual gratification, money, curiosity-just to mention but a few. Here we are discussing about whether date rape and violent rape should be handled differently. In basic terms violent rape is the use of physical domineering whilst committing an act of rape by any perpetrator. There may be use of threats or physical force, however; an element of violence has to be present whether actually meted or not. The act of violent rape may be done by a total stranger or a person familiar to the victim-in which case it may constitute a date rape depending on the manner in which the act was carried out. On the other hand, date rape is an act of alleged rape where the perpetrator has a level of acquaintance and/or some romantic relationship level with the allegedly raped victim. In these cases the two parties are not total strangers to each other.

In a plain and basic criminal law definition rape is an act of assault that involves sexual intercourse between the perpetrator and the victim, and this is case the perpetrator initiates and performs the act without the consent of the victim. In non-legal realms rape is alternatively referred to as sexual assault. These terms have subtle differences, but they do have technical distinctiveness in some jurisdictions. The definition of rape in other jurisdictions only entails vaginal penile penetration, whilst all other sexual activities are regarded as assault in the sexual sense. Generally, sexual assault is a form of criminal assault which includes not only an act of rape, but also any other sexual activities that are non-consensual. Despite the variance of definitions under various jurisdictions there are two basic things that are common in all definitions, and these define what constitutes an act of rape.

In this sense, a similar treatment implies that the sentence offered to date rape offenders should be similar in magnitude and severity to that offered to violent rape victims. There should be no difference in the magnitude of the punishment offered. However, the only difference, which may not even be termed as a difference is the fact that date rapes may have some misunderstandings resulting from the issue on implied consent. As such date rapes should be scrutinized for more explicit evidence that suggests that indeed there was no consent before the act. This is important because some alleged rape victims have been known to suggestively dress or act in a manner that drives the perpetrators to commit the act of sexual intercourse under the assumption that there is implied consent. Some of these victims may at times put up last minute resistance (token resistance) with the aim of indicating that indeed they were raped. These acts have been known to be enhanced to occur for the sake blackmail and malicious schemes to acquire money or sabotage the alleged perpetrators. Therefore, the more scrutiny required for date rapes compared to violent rapes which may obviously be evident in portrayal by physical harm.