Being gay means feeling sexually attracted to members of the same sex as you. It may take time to understand yourself and your interactions with others. For example, people who have repeated crushes and/or pleasurable body experiences with other people of the same gender, but have no crushes or pleasurable experiences with people of the opposite gender will ultimately report being “gay” or “lesbian”. However having one or a few experiences with somebody of the same gender does not automatically make you gay or even bisexual (feeling sexually attracted to both males and females). Sometimes it takes a long time to understand your body and how it reacts to other people. It’s important to know that it’s ok to not have a specific label for the way you feel or to not know with which sexual orientation you identity.

If you feel like you want to talk to someone or you need more support, your health care provider can help you find a counselor or support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender teens or young adults. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your provider, you can speak with someone and get advice on where you can find a counselor or support group.