Objectives. This work sought to understand sexual debut as a transitional process in the lives of a group of young adults and to interpret the meaning of this transition for them. Methodology. This was a qualitative research with 18 life stories of students from different socio-economic backgrounds and with diverse sexual orientations. Results. According to the middle-range theory of transitions, sexual debut can be considered a developmental transition. The initiative can be their own, motivated by desire, or coerced by pressure from a
