Childhood Gender Nonconformity - Childhood Gender Non-conformity and Sexual Orientation

Childhood Gender Non-conformity and Sexual Orientation

A great deal of research has been conducted on the relationship between GNC and sexual orientation. Gay men often report being feminine boys, and lesbian women often report being masculine girls. In men, CGN is a strong predictor of sexual orientation in adulthood, but this relationship is not as well understood in women. Women with CAH reported more male typical play behaviours and showed less heterosexual interest.

The fraternal birth order effect is a well documented phenomenon that predicts that a man’s odds of being homosexual increase 33-48% with each other brother than the man has. Research has shown that the mother develops an immune response due to blood factor incompatibility with male fetuses. With each male fetus the mother’s immune system responds more strongly to what it perceives as a threat. The mother’s immune response can disrupt typical prenatal hormones, like testosterone, which have been implicated in both childhood gender nonconformity and adult sexual orientation.

Bem proposes a theory on the relationship between childhood gender non-conformity, which he refers to as the “exotic become erotic.” Bem argues that biological factors, such as prenatal hormones, genes and neuroanatomy, predispose children to behave in ways that do not conform to their sex assigned at birth. Gender nonconforming children will often prefer opposite-sex playmates and activities. These become alienated from their same-sex peer group. As children enter adolescence “the exotic becomes erotic” where dissimilar and unfamiliar same-sex peers produces arousal, and the general arousal become eroticized over time. Bem’s theory does not seem to fit female homosexuality. Perhaps, males who demonstrate gender nonconformity experience more alienation and separation from same-sex peers, because cultural constructions of masculinity are generally more rigid than femininity.