The Facts... without the Lecture
B4uDecide.ie is closing down at the end of May 2024.
Alternative sources of relationships and sexuality information and resources:
- For 16-25 year olds: SpunOut.ie is an information provision website, including relationships and sexuality issues.
- For 17+ year olds: Sexualwellbeing.ie is the HSE website that provides information and resources on a wide range of information such as consent, contraception, sexual transmitted infections, vaccinations and unplanned pregnancy
- For parents: The HSE’s ‘Making the ‘Big Talk’ many small talks’ series of booklets to help parents and children talk about relationships and sexuality is available online, and to order free of charge from healthpromotion.ie. HSE funded RSE workshops are available at npc.ie and ifpa.ie
- For teachers: Junior Cycle SPHE Resources are available to support the new 2023 SPHE specification , including the Relationship and Sexuality strand.
- For youthworkers: HSE funded training on relationship and sexuality issues is available at REAL U | Foroige and Tailored Training Courses – National Youth Council of Ireland
Sexuality
Exploring & Understanding Sexuality
Sexuality is much more than sexual feelings or having sex, it involves our relationships with ourselves, those around us and the society in which we live. Our sexuality is an important part of who we are and includes all the feelings, thoughts, and behaviours associated with being female or male. It also includes feelings, thoughts, and behaviours in relation to feeling or not feeling being attracted to others and being in love . Many of these relationships include emotional intimacy (sharing of yourself with someone else) and some may also include sexual activity.
We are sexual beings throughout our lives: whether or not we are sexually active and no matter how we identify in terms of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Your orientation (sexual attraction) may be described as asexual (no sexual attraction), gay, straight, lesbian or bisexual, while your gender identity may be described as cisgender (when your personal identity matches your biological sex and the gender identity given at birth ) or transgendered (when your sense of personal identity differs from your biological sex and the gender identity given at birth). Straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual and/ or transgender, your identity is equally valid and exploring your feelings and accepting your sexuality is important.
Visit the Sexual Diversity and Accepting Sexuality section to learn more. For information on puberty, reproduction, contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) please see The Facts section.
Find out more
BeLonG To Youth Services provides supports to lesbian, gay and bisexual young people. Check out their website BeLonG To for more information and to find a youth group near you.