When I was 7 my sister got pregnant (she was 17 and a senior in high school) and had her, my niece, and, even though she considered giving her up for adoption, i'm so glad she didn't because she is the most amazing 14 year old I have ever met.

Anyways, when I was 15, my dad told me that he didn't want me to get into the same situation. My sister was a single mom while getting her degree.....needless to say it was very difficult on everyone. So he told me that he knew I would have sex whether he condoned it or not so if I wanted to to come to him and he would take me to the obgyn to be safe. So when I was 15 I told him that I wanted to go and get checked out and get birth control. Well, he suddenly changed his tune and I had to take myself to the obgyn and get my own birth control.

My point is, what people say and what they often contradict each other. So even though your parents might have said they were open and honest and accepting, the actions they did might have contradicted it. Whether that's them not acting loving towards one another, you or anything else. My parents never showed each other affection and got divorced when i was 6 so my perception of relationships and sex is very skewed. My mother has been overweight my whole life so she was very secretive of her body and very insecure. So, even though I am not overweight, I learned to be insecure about it.

So if your parents, or other influential people in your life, showed you actions that looked like insecurity or shame, it could cause you to feel the same.

The best thing about your post is that you realize it. You see that there is nothing to be ashamed about no matter what your preference is, but you have these feelings. Sometimes the hardest part is realizing what the problem is. once you see that these feelings/emotions are completely normal, it is easier to deal with. So please know that we are not here to judge you, only here to help.