What's the difference between sexual attraction and sexual orientation?

attraction is what turns you on. orientation usually relates to the gender you think you prefer.

OMG the answers you've received are just awful. So sorry about that. It's as if these people do not even understand the definition of very basic English language words.

The word orientation means "the relative position of something or someone." Think of relative position as on a map. It could be north, south, east or west.

When you think of sexual orientation most people envision it as a straight line with gay at one end, straight at another, and all points in between. This is an over-simplification but let's just go with it for now.

One's "sexual orientation" is their relative point on that line. Some are VERY gay. Some are VERY straight. Most are somewhere between those points.

Sexual orientation DOES NOT have to do with one's attraction to any one person at any given point in time. It's where one is "in general."

Sexual attraction is about an individual's attraction to a specific person.

For example, a man may identify as a straight male. Does that mean he's sexually attracted to every woman on the planet? Of course not.

So yes, of course you can have one without the other. Sexual orientation does not mean that you are sexually attracted to everyone of the "general group" that you are oriented towards. And yes, sometimes people are attracted to someone outside of the general group that they are oriented towards.

Sexual orientation is who you are attracted to. It isn't a matter of "who you CHOOSE to pursue." It's who you WANT to pursue. Gay men and lesbians have pursued and married opposite sex partners because tehy were in the closet, but that doesn't change their orientation.

Sexual attraction is being turned on by a person.

Sexual orientation is who you choose to pursue in hope of engaging in a sexual relationship with.

No. You are gay for sure.