"How do I know if I'm gay?" This is a question that thousands if not millions of teenagers ask themselves all over the world. Perhaps you are a teenager who is reading this and is also asking this very question. How do you determine the answer? To understand this better, let's first talk a bit about what it means to be gay.

In a literal sense being gay is having a sexual desire towards a person of the same sex. In society though, this is often expanded to include anyone who may have some sort of emotional attraction to a member of the same sex. This is an attraction that is different from a rather common or even close friendship. The percentage of individuals who are gay is not completely known, although most estimates place the number at around 5-10%. While it may appear that being gay is more common in present times, this may simply have to do with living in a society which is now more accepting of homosexuals.

So how do you determine if you are gay or not? To be honest, there is no one fool-proof method in doing so. Every person is different. Do you have a sexual attraction to both men and women? That doesn't necessarily mean that you are or are not gay. Do you find that you have a lack of sexual attraction with the opposite sex? Again, that does not necessarily mean you are gay. There just isn't one question that you can ask yourself which will completely give you an answer. However, there are a few questions to ask yourself which may shine some light on your sexual preferences. These questions are as follows:

• Which sex do you imagine yourself spending the rest of your life with?
• Which sex do you find offers some sort of sexual attraction to you?
• Which sex do you find yourself able to connect more to on
  an emotional level?

While one question cannot give you an answer, combining these answers and developing a profile of your wants and needs can bring you a step closer in determining who you are, and what your sexual preference may be. Finding the answer to your sexual orientation is about exploring and understanding who you are. It's about a journey of self-discovery.

So, are you gay? If you are unsure, you will likely figure it out in time. However, whether or not you are gay, it doesn't change who you are as a person. It doesn't change your overall personality, or the positive traits that you offer to the world. You have a lot of time to determine who you truly are.

Don't rush into finding an answer, and eventually, the answer will come to you.