Anamata Diversity Group – Safe, supportive space for queer or questioning young people. We meet once a week after school at Anamata. Yr 9 – 13 Contact Zoe ADG@anamata.org.nz or Facebook message us.

Sexuality

Your sexuality is who you’re attracted to both physically and emotionally. You could be attracted to the same sex, different sex, both sex, neither sex or still figuring it out. All of those are okay, it can take time to figure out and be proud of who you are.

Check out the links below for some more info on sexuality:

• https://ry.org.nz/what-we-do/info/sexuality-101
• https://www.villainesse.com/real-sex-talk/episode-7-sexuality

Gender identity – definition

Gender Identity is how a person identifies as a male, female, both, neither or somewhere in between. People often get confused between gender and sex. Gender is how somebody identifies and sex is what someone is assigned with at birth.

Here’s some helpful links and videos that explores deeper in gender identity:

• https://www.villainesse.com/real-sex-talk/episode-8-gender-identity
• http://insideout.org.nz/legal-rights-at-school/
• https://ry.org.nz/what-we-do/info/gender-identity-101

Coming out

Coming out is a journey and a different experience for everybody. Coming out is something for you to do when you feel ready and are safe to do so. Coming out can feel really scary and take a lot of courage but it can also bring a lot of relief. Remember that to get to this point you have probably processed what you’re coming out about for a while. Your family and friends might need a bit of time to process as well.

The link below is a coming out guide:

https://outline.org.nz/coming-out-guide/

Safe sex

No matter who your sexual partner is, if either of you have a uterus/ovaries and the other has testicles then it’s a good idea to think about contraception. The school nurse or a nurse at the Anamata clinic can talk with you around the best contraception option for you.

STI’s are relevant for everyone whether you’re having sex as a heterosexual couple or a same sex couple. It’s important for everyone to have safe sex. This might look like using condoms, dental dams, lube or gloves. You can get STI checks at the school nurse or one of the nurses at the Anamata clinic.

Here’s a link with a bit more detail around having safe sex

• https://www.villainesse.com/real-sex-talk/episode-3-contraception-and-protection