A Bisexual Man Said He Used to Be Straight. Is That Odd?
Can sexual orientation change?
Many queer and trans folks believe that sexual orientation is an innate trait that never changes.
To be clear, I don’t support conversion therapy, nor do I think that being straight is better. I’m gay and trans myself and I’m proud of my identities.
I only wish to talk about experiences from people I know. While many of us don’t change our attractions, some other folks might.
A few years ago, shortly after I realized I was nonbinary, I went to a bisexual support group because I questioned whether I might be bi. There, I met a guy who told us he used to be straight, but now he likes men too. Other members told him he was wrong, because sexual orientation doesn’t change. He must have just suppressed his attraction towards guys all along.
The guy fell silent after that.
At the time, I thought it was like genetic expression, where certain parts of your DNA get turned on or off depending on your environment. So his same-sex attraction always existed but was just switched off until now.
Yet, now I’m rethinking my stance. Was it right of us to shut down the guy’s opinion? He was only talking about his own experiences. He wasn’t making any claims about…
