Facilitative Environments Related to Sexual Orientation Development and Sexual Fluidity in Sexual Minority Young Adults Across Different Gender Identities

Abstract

Previous theories of sexual orientation development and sexual fluidity are limited because they describe these processes separately and represent the experiences of only some sexual orientation subgroups. This study qualitatively examined sexual orientation development and sexual fluidity among 18 young adults, ages 18 to 26 years. Participants reported sexual fluidity in attractions on an online survey and represented a range of gender identities and sexual minority subgroups. Participants completed an in-depth interview about sexual orientation development, sexual orientation identity labels, and interpretations of sexual fluidity. Three categories of themes emerged from participants' narratives and were explored in depth: early indicators of sexual orientation, context of first questioning sexual orientation, and current perceptions of sexual orientation and changes. The facilitative environments model is proposed to provide a conceptual representation of sexual orientation development and sexual fluidity as occurring at the confluence of individual, interpersonal, and societal factors.