I had an experience today and I have no one to really tell and I am struggling with being in the questioning stage. I know it is okay to not know, but I really feel lots of pressure to choose a sexual orientation. So today I had to fill out forms for a new doctor and there was a question about which sexual orientation I identify with the only options were (Heterosexual, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transexual) And I don't feel like I fully identify with any one of these labels, at least not just yet. If I had to choose I guess bisexual, but what if that changed and then each time I go to the doctor I would have to update my sexual orientation. It is also strange having that information on a permanent record. What do you do in situations like this? This is a situation I never ever could have prepared for. I was literally forced to choose a sexual orientation. I chose to leave that part blank. But then I got asked the same questions by my doctor in person. I had to admit I had no past sexual history and then she asked my preference "boys? girls?" and I was hesitant so she said "don't know?" and I just said "I don't really identify with an orientation" and it was fine. She just smiled and was just like "it's okay" and it was all cool. But still, I wish I did not have to disclose this on a permeant record. I guess I kind of came out-ish today. That was the first time I have ever admitted to anyone face-to-face that I am unsure of my sexual orientation. I guess it was kind of revealing for me because when faced with that question on paper I wanted to just circle heterosexual, but I could not. I could not force myself to do it so I was thinking bisexual, but then I was feeling like I really was not ready. It's so strange. Such a strange feeling to have to choose when you are unsure and then basically come out to your doctor.
OK, first off, why was "transsexual" even on that list? Gender identity and sexual orientation are completely separate things, and trans people can be straight, gay, bi etc. just like cis people. If they wanted to know that it should have been a separate question. I remember filling out a similar form about five years ago for a physical. The question it asked was "are you homosexual or heterosexual?" I responded by circling neither option and writing in "bisexual" instead, which didn't cause any issues. Maybe you could do something similar?
I had similar paperwork when going to my now doctor. They had a social worker go over the questions and actually fill it out. I didn't have an issue with orientation but it asked about relationship status and since I didn't fit any of the choices she just wrote "it's complicated" and said they should really add that as an option. In this case, I would say just write unsure, which should have been an option.
In terms of a transsexual thing... its one of those questions where they're pretending to really care about who you are but don't. Like I've had a lot of forms for schools where they give ethnicity questions in order to "cater for cultural needs" but they lump all black people into Afro-Caribbean. Liiiike, all the countries of Africa have a different culture, and those are different from Caribbean cultures. So they're not really interested in your culture... they're interested in whether you're black or not and somehow they think that's adequate information to use for anything. Basically, in the question you describe, they again simply want to know which minorities you fall into. They want to know if you're LGBT. Its not helpful but they don't actually care that much. Or possibly they think they do, but they haven't done any research... which shows they don't really.
