Survey of Postsecondary Faculty and Researchers (SPFR)

Sexual orientation of person, category

Sexual orientation refers to whether someone is heterosexual or belongs to a sexual minority. Sexual orientation can be assessed on the basis of self-identity, sexual behaviour, or sexual attraction. Identity refers to individuals' social identity, such as whether they consider themselves to be heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual. Sexual behaviour denotes whether a person's sexual partners are of the same or opposite sex. Sexual attraction refers to feelings independent of behaviours.

Person refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programs.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classifications and/or lists:

• Sexual orientation