Since June 26, 2015, same-sex marriage has been legal in all 50 States and American territories except American Samoa and Native American land.

Though heterosexuality is viewed as the social "norm" in the United States, many other cultures maintain a very diverse perspective on sexuality and sexual orientation.

However, according to American Anthropologist David Valentine, many individuals resist the label "transgender" because it is overly-inclusive.

The current general ideology present is that an individual must either fit the box of male or female, and not doing so can result in irrational behavior from others, and can lead to aggression in some cases.This may be due in part to the idea that Americans view transgenderism as an expression of perverse sexuality, but, regardless, it is imperative that we acknowledge the rights and legitimacy of the transgender community.Queer is a word that the LGBQT community has reclaimed to be an umbrella term which refers to anyone who identifies outside of the heteronormative society.It is used both alternatively and side-by-side with the term sexual orientation, and is based on the perspective that sexual attraction is but a single component of a larger dynamic.For example, although a pansexual person may feel sexually attracted to people regardless of gender, they may be predisposed to romantic intimacy with females.One person may identify themselves as queer and have no problem with the term, however, another person may find the term offensive and not identify as queer but instead homosexual.Romantic Orientation, also known as Affectional Orientation, indicates the sex or gender with which a person is most likely to have a romantic relationship or fall in love.