Final answer:
Sexual orientation refers to a person's pattern of emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction to individuals of a particular gender, with categories including heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality, and pansexuality, among others.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sexual orientation is a person's sexual identity regarding which gender they tend to be sexually attracted to. This encompasses their physical, mental, emotional, and sexual attraction to people of a particular sex. There are several distinct categories within sexual orientation, which include heterosexuality (attraction to individuals of the other sex), homosexuality (attraction to individuals of the same sex), bisexuality (attraction to individuals of either sex), asexuality (a lack of sexual attraction or desire for sexual contact), and pansexuality (an attraction to people regardless of sex or gender identity), among others. These orientations can be deeply ingrained aspects of a person's identity and are part of a broad spectrum of human sexuality.