【Worksheet】Try Verbalizing Your SOGIE by Using the Sexuality Exploration Sheet
Have you ever felt confused about your own sexual orientation and gender identity?
“I don’t identify as ‘LGBT,’ but I feel different from others.”
“I wonder, what kind of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGIE) do I have?”
“I can’t find anything that fits comfortably within the existing sexuality.”
Sexual orientation and gender identity are genuinely diverse, spreading out like a wide spectrum.
However, even today, it is considered normal to be “cisgender and heterosexual,” keeping other forms of sexuality invisible.
Moreover, the differences within categories like “cisgender,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” etc., are often overlooked.
In this context, many people may feel a sense of confusion about “What is my sexuality?” or feel like “It’s challenging to put into words.”
While finding the perfect label for your sexuality is not always the answer, taking a closer look at your own identity and learning to express it in your own words could be a starting point to clear away the confusion.
Let’s Use the Sexuality Exploration Sheet!
Palettalk has created a special sheet to help you verbalize your sexuality. Why not give it a try?
Please save (or download) the PDF image provided here. You can either print it out and write on it or edit it directly on your computer or smartphone.
Recommended for Workshops at Schools or Workplaces
When learning about sexual diversity and LGBTQ+, many people may feel like it doesn’t relate to them. However, SOGIE is something everyone has, and each person’s sexuality exists somewhere along the spectrum, even if it doesn’t fall within LGBTQ+.
Trying to visually represent your own sexuality using diagrams, for example, can help you realize that there isn’t a clear line between what’s considered “normal” and what’s not.
Caution: Avoid Forcing to Come Out!
When using in school classes or workshops, please be cautious not to force individuals to come out.
Deciding when, to whom, and to what extent to come out is a personal choice. It’s essential to avoid situations where disclosure of one’s sexuality is forced, regardless of whether the Sexuality Exploration Sheet is used.
Let’s ensure that everyone can think about their sexuality in a safe environment.
For example:
- Ensure that what each person writes on the sheet is not visible to others.
- In the workshop, provide guidance on how to fill out the sheet, but allow individuals to complete it privately.
For more information on coming out and outing, refer to the detailed explanation in the following article. It would be nice to review it before conducting a workshop.
A Trigger to Reexamine Diverse Identities
The content of the sheet introduced in this article represents only a small part of the elements that make up our sexual orientation and gender identity. In reality, our sexual identities are formed by a complex interaction of various elements, which can naturally change over time.
You can find a more detailed Sexualty Exploration Sheet in Palettalk’s book “Understanding LGBTQ+ through Manga.” Be sure to check it out!(Only Japanese is available)
（Translation: Jennifer Martin)