Adolescence

Whereas the term puberty refers to the period of physical maturation, the term adolescence typically refers to the socially defined period during which a person adjusts to the physical, emotional, and social changes associated with the transition from childhood to adulthood. Adolescence, which occurs from about the age of 12 to the age of 17 or older, is a period marked by increased sexual behavior. By the end of adolescence, two-thirds of young women and almost all …

…whereas the term lesbian is applied to homosexual women. A person who is attracted to both men and women is labeled bisexual. A transsexual is a person whose sense of self is not consistent with his or her anatomical sex--for example, a person whose sense of self is female but who has male genitals. Homosexuality is not synonymous with transsexuality. Homosexual men's sense of self is male and lesbian women's sense of self is female.