Fixed or Fluid? Sexual Identity Fluidity in a Large National Panel Study of New Zealand Adults

Sexual orientation has been defined as an enduring aspect of the self, but emerging evidence reveals that people's sexual attractions, behaviors, and identities can shift over time. To examine this possibility, we present a large longitudinal analysis of sexual orientation identity fluidity amo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of sex research 2024-11, Vol.61 (9), p.1351-1366
Main Authors: Lilly, Kieren J., Satherley, Nicole, Sibley, Chris G., Barlow, Fiona Kate, Greaves, Lara M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Bisexuality
Conscientiousness
Female
Gender Identity
Heterosexuality
Humans
Identity
Lesbianism
Liberalism
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Middle Aged
New Zealand
Openness
Plasticity
Sexual and Gender Minorities - psychology
Sexual and Gender Minorities - statistics & numerical data
Sexual Behavior - statistics & numerical data
Sexual orientation
Sexuality
Young Adult
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Summary:Sexual orientation has been defined as an enduring aspect of the self, but emerging evidence reveals that people's sexual attractions, behaviors, and identities can shift over time. To examine this possibility, we present a large longitudinal analysis of sexual orientation identity fluidity among New Zealand adults (N total  = 45,856; age = 18-99; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority (LGB+) ns = 746-3,387). Over seven years, 5.7% of participants changed sexual identities at least once. Change was bi-directional (i.e. toward and away from LGB+ identities) and most common in people who initially reported a plurisexual identity. Although women reported higher rates of plurisexuality than men, they were not more fluid in their identities, contradicting the notion of male fixedness and female plasticity in sexuality. Moreover, openness to experience was associated with increased odds of changing from a heterosexual to a plurisexual identity, while political liberalism and lower conscientiousness were associated with increased odds of changing from a heterosexual to a plurisexual identity and more identity changes over time. Overall, our study shows that sexual identity can be fluid into adulthood and has implications for how we understand contemporary human sexuality.
ISSN:0022-4499
1559-8519
1559-8519
DOI:10.1080/00224499.2023.2289517