Sexual identity is how one thinks of oneself in terms of whom one is
romantically or
sexually attracted to.
Sexual identity may also refer to
sexual orientation identity, which is when people identify or dis-identify with a
sexual orientation or choose not to identify with a sexual orientation. Sexual identity and
sexual behavior are closely related to sexual orientation, but they are distinguished, with
identity referring to an individual's conception of themselves,
behavior referring to actual sexual acts performed by the individual, and
sexual orientation referring to romantic or sexual attractions toward persons of the opposite
sex or
gender, the same sex or gender, to both sexes or more than one gender, or to no one. Historical models of sexual identity have tended to view its formation as a process undergone only by
sexual minorities, while more contemporary models view the process as far more universal and attempt to present sexual identity within the larger scope of other major identity theories and processes.