Homoerotic and heteroerotic sexual orientation dimensions are not static entities, but dynamic and fluid ones, aligning with how sexual orientation behavior can vary in any individual. A key to the dynamic nature is activation and deactivation of sexual orientation dimensions: Certain triggers and circumstances can activate either the homoerotic or heteroerotic dimension. For example, a person who identifies with being “homosexual” based on a high homoerotic motivation and significantly lower heteroerotic motivation, can be motivated to engage in heteroerotic behavior upon encountering an other-sex partner they really like and bond to, in part perhaps based on a desire to have children. Sexual orientation dimension activation can explain other puzzling behavior, such as why homoerotic behavior increases in same-sex settings: For purposes of alliance formation, tension reduction, reconciliation, and even just sexual pleasure, the presence of same-sex individuals only can activate the homoerotic dimension. Deactivation of sexual orientation dimensions can transpire in certain circumstances, as with sexual abuse, although ironically activation can also occur with sexual abuse, accounting for why sexualization of behavior is one of the most common outcomes in this scenario. Outing The TRUTH About Sexual Orientation is the first book to present the influence of activation and deactivation of sexual orientation dimensions by sexual abuse and other circumstances.
Apr 192017