Lesson 11
Love, Attraction, and Crushes
Key Ideas
- There are many kinds of love: love for family, friends, and sometimes romantic feelings for another person.
- Attraction means wanting to be close to someone in a special way.
- A crush is when you have special feelings for someone. Crushes are normal and can be for any gender.
- Sexual orientation describes who a person is attracted to.
- Heterosexual (straight) means attracted to a different gender. Gay or lesbian means attracted to the same gender. Bisexual means attracted to your own and other genders. Pansexual means attracted to people of all genders. Asexual means not experiencing sexual attraction, and that is also normal.
- Whoever you are or are not attracted to is completely okay.
- Coming out is a personal decision and everyone gets to decide if, when, and how they share.
| Term | Definition |
| Attraction | Wanting to be close to, romantic with, or special friends with another person. |
| Sexual orientation | Who a person is attracted to in a romantic or sexual way. |
| Heterosexual | Attracted to people of a different gender. Also called straight. |
| Gay / Lesbian | Attracted to people of the same gender. |
| Bisexual | Attracted to people of your own and other genders. |
| Pansexual | Attracted to people of all genders. |
| Asexual | Not experiencing sexual attraction toward others. This is normal. |
| Queer | An umbrella word some people use to describe sexual orientations or gender identities that are not straight or cisgender. |
| Crush | A feeling of special interest or romantic excitement toward another person. |