I found Dennis Anderson's article on gay and lesbian development incredibly interesting. The idea that girls and boys come to terms with their homosexuality differently is something I had never considered. It makes complete sense upon further thought. Society views lesbians and gay differently and it would make complete sense that their experiences would differ in a general sense.
I was however, surprised to see that boys tend to identify their homosexuality at an earlier age. While gays and lesbians both experience prejudice I have always thought society is a little more harsh on gays. Perhaps I am way off but I would assume that in the face of more intense hostility gay boys would fight their feelings more and come to terms with it at a later age. The fact that this is not the case is surprising. Maybe I am completely off in thinking gay boys get bullied more than gay girls as well. Perhaps I am putting too heavy an emphasis on social factors rather than biological ones.
I completely agree with you and thought the exact same thing when reading Anderson's article. I was shocked to hear that gay men came to terms with their sexuality earlier than gay women. As discussed in earlier classes about gender, I also assumed that men had more pressures from society in the sense of being strong, a provider, and one who fits the "conventional" mold. In reading this article, it seemed as though gay men seemed less confused about discovering their sexuality, as if it was more clear. When reading this article, I could relate it to my friend from high school, but agree with you with that fact that some of the information surprised me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this article I had the same thought as you. I have always assumed that men have come under more scrutiny for being gay as opposed to women. This would lead me to the same conclusions as you; however upon reading the article it makes a lot of sense. Just because men come to terms with their homosexuality earlier does not mean that they still do not try to hide it. I have had many friends who have hid their sexuality from me and many of their other friends because of the fear of how we would view them. This fear did not stop their acceptance of their own sexuality, but rather just made them a little insecure with how people would view them. They were not confused by their sexuality, but just hid it to protect themselves from the opinions of others. I still have a friend who has not told his parents about his sexuality and he is 22. He has been openly gay with his friends since high school, but is worried about his parents. This article just made me realize that public scrutiny or bullying does not hinder a person's acceptance of his sexuality, but it may cause him to hide it until he is completely secure with himself.
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