ABSTRACT
At the same time as there has been a vast proliferation of terms, labels and categories for gender and sexuality, a discourse that depicts gender and sexual identities as forms which change and which can be actively chosen has emerged, particularly in celebrity announcements around sexual orientation. This chapter explores some of the reasons why and how this discourse competes with older liberal–humanist frameworks of ‘born that way’ arguments around sexual identities, and the roles of empowerment, agency, consumer sensibilities and adaptability in contemporary ways of perceiving sexual subjectivity.
