I think some children know, it's different for everyone I think
Kids being gay
06/03/2012
I personally didn't realize (or at least accept) that I was bisexual until I was 18.. but I do think that kids can understand and be able to know if they are gay. Honestly, one reason many children (at least where I live) don't realize it sooner is because they weren't raised understanding what homosexuality is... but that may be something exclusive to my conservative surroundings. I know a lot of people don't even know what "being gay" is until they are 13, but look back and say "I knew I was different, but I didn't know how until then." Which makes sense.
06/03/2012
this is kind of silly. why would you not be able to tell? it's the same thing as having straight crushes in 7th/8th grade. normal.
06/03/2012
I think it's absolutely possible for kids to know. As Lady Gaga says, we're born this way. The most important thing is for kids to be in an environment where they can feel comfortable examining their feelings and know that they won't be judged for wherever their sexual preference ends up.
06/03/2012
Yeah, people can know early on in life.
08/22/2012
Yeah I think someone can realize that as a child.
08/23/2012
I have known kids younger knowing. For me it was a confusing time I didn't know what to call myself until I was 14.
08/23/2012
I believe it is genetic, so yes I don't see why kids wouldn't know.
08/23/2012
Quote:
Learned? Not loving the wording here. I don't think it's a learned behavior. It would insinuate that all kids who grow up in heterosexual homes would be heterosexual, because that's what they learned of relationships at an early age. It would also insinuate that all kids who grow up in gay households would be gay because that's what they learned, although, how there would be gay households is beyond me, because everyone would have learned heterosexuality...
Originally posted by
Sinfully
Yes it is something that can be learned early on.
And after typing all of that, I wonder if you mean "discovered" or "realized?"
08/23/2012
I think they can know they are gay etc.
09/24/2012
Quote:
I totally agree. Sexuality is fluid and can change over time. And if someone is going through a phase, so what. I think that kids (and adults) should be allowed to explore desires without anyone trying to force them into an identity.
Originally posted by
Chirple
I think what people often overlook is that sexuality can change, and that's okay.
Some people change, some don't. There are plenty of people who knew BEFORE puberty that they were "gay". There are people who do genuinely go ... more
Some people change, some don't. There are plenty of people who knew BEFORE puberty that they were "gay". There are people who do genuinely go ... more
I think what people often overlook is that sexuality can change, and that's okay.
Some people change, some don't. There are plenty of people who knew BEFORE puberty that they were "gay". There are people who do genuinely go through "phases" before, during, and after puberty.
You can certainly realise you have attraction to the same sex at 12 or 13. Will it last forever ? Only time will tell. Certainly, don't write it off as "just a phase" - but the likelihood is just the same as being straight or whatever is.
I "realised" I when I was 9. Things have changed a bit since then, but even at that age, I was able to identify such feelings. less
Some people change, some don't. There are plenty of people who knew BEFORE puberty that they were "gay". There are people who do genuinely go through "phases" before, during, and after puberty.
You can certainly realise you have attraction to the same sex at 12 or 13. Will it last forever ? Only time will tell. Certainly, don't write it off as "just a phase" - but the likelihood is just the same as being straight or whatever is.
I "realised" I when I was 9. Things have changed a bit since then, but even at that age, I was able to identify such feelings. less
09/25/2012
I think we can move away from labels, at least for children. if they like their same gender, cool. if they like their opposite gender, cool. if they like both, or neither, also cool. Just let them be kids, and not have to worry about adult things like labels and politics and whatnot.
09/26/2012
i knew i was lesbian at a very young age
10/02/2012
My first crush was on someone of the same gender as me, and I continued to have crushes that seemed to happen regardless of the gender and physical sex of the person. I didn't even realize that was 'different' until someone told me.
I think sexuality is just like anything else, honestly: people discover things about themselves at different paces dependent on a lot of factors, from personality to culture to life experiences. There are always going to be late converters in terms of religion, late bloomers in terms of sexuality, etcetc.
I think sexuality is just like anything else, honestly: people discover things about themselves at different paces dependent on a lot of factors, from personality to culture to life experiences. There are always going to be late converters in terms of religion, late bloomers in terms of sexuality, etcetc.
10/03/2012
Quote:
I think it is possible to know u r gay when u r a child because its not a choice its something people are born as.
Originally posted by
ToyGurl
So I went to see The Sitter with my husband tonight, and in the movie the young boy (about 12 or 13) realizes he's gay. Do you think children can really tell if they are gay or not? I'm not saying there's something wrong with it - I
...
more
So I went to see The Sitter with my husband tonight, and in the movie the young boy (about 12 or 13) realizes he's gay. Do you think children can really tell if they are gay or not? I'm not saying there's something wrong with it - I simply mean that isn't your body just starting puberty? Kids can get turned on at almost anything! I used to get aroused with females at that age, but here I am married to a man and I am not or was not ever bisexual. I was just a kid and I was exploring. Am I right?
Answer below by voting and explaining in comments. Let's keep this peaceful as I mean no trouble at all. I have several lesbian, gay, bisexual, and even transgendered friends. less
Answer below by voting and explaining in comments. Let's keep this peaceful as I mean no trouble at all. I have several lesbian, gay, bisexual, and even transgendered friends. less
10/03/2012
Even if kids don't grow up to feel the same way they do at a young age it doesn't make any of those feelings illegitimate or weird.
10/06/2012
I knew I was bisexual before I knew there was such a thing as bisexuality.
10/06/2012
I knew from as early as I can remember. I never knew as a child what it was called...it just was. Also it is not or never has been only about sex and sexual attraction for me. I relate to woman in every possible way...it is the way I interact with them...not just sex. I am a lesbian...and my mom said I "came out" when I was two. I am 27 now....
10/06/2012
I've always known I was attracted to all genders. I just... was. It was perfectly normal to me. I realised when I was twelve that there was a "label" for it, though I only knew of heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality at the time, so I chose to identify as bisexual. When I was fifteen, I learnt of omnisexuality and immediately knew that that defined me better than bisexual did.
10/06/2012
I think that children CAN know... But I think only maybe.. 2/5 teenagers that claims to be gay/bi really DOES know. I think you should believe your teenager (or child) and support them, but I also think you should be prepared for a change of heart: I came out as a lesbian before I realized I was pansexual. I know at least 3 "bi" kids from high school that are happily straight now. I even know a girl that lived as a ftm transgender for two years before realizing she felt more a-gender than anything else.
10/07/2012
i think kids can be part of the LGBT spectrum.
10/07/2012
definitely!
01/31/2013
Some just know!
02/05/2013
I remember an interview with a gay comedian and he explained that he loved to watch men in underwear in the catalog when he was age 4.
I remember that I had a passion for being tied and fantasized about spanking when I was younger than 6
I remember that I had a passion for being tied and fantasized about spanking when I was younger than 6
02/05/2013
I thought I was straight until I started going through puberty, then I realized I was more attracted to men, but even then up until I was 16, I thought I was bisexual. I think a child's arousal/sexual development isn't enough at that young of an age for them to know what they are. Most of a teenager's life is figuring out who they are and if they haven't been a teenager yet, they aren't as developed yet.
02/05/2013
I'm not gay, but there are a lot of parallels between sexual orientation and other parts of sexuality, and I knew from a very young age that I was into the idea being tied up and picked on even before I knew what it meant to be "into" something, and once I was an adult and discovered BDSM I realized that it was just as much a part of my identity as my orientation. So yes, sexuality can definitely be known at a very young age.
02/05/2013
Straight people are the only ones who would ever claim that a person can "become" gay.
02/05/2013
I never knew the difference between the two genders as far as attraction. I still don't. I've just always been pansexual. There was no point of "realization", except for the realization that what I had was not normal.
02/08/2013
I knew I was a lesbian when I was around eleven or twelve. I think it's totally possible for children to realize this about themselves and that they should be allowed to explore it.
02/14/2013
Quote:
I realized I was gay when i was 13. its all about self awareness.
Originally posted by
ToyGurl
So I went to see The Sitter with my husband tonight, and in the movie the young boy (about 12 or 13) realizes he's gay. Do you think children can really tell if they are gay or not? I'm not saying there's something wrong with it - I
...
more
So I went to see The Sitter with my husband tonight, and in the movie the young boy (about 12 or 13) realizes he's gay. Do you think children can really tell if they are gay or not? I'm not saying there's something wrong with it - I simply mean that isn't your body just starting puberty? Kids can get turned on at almost anything! I used to get aroused with females at that age, but here I am married to a man and I am not or was not ever bisexual. I was just a kid and I was exploring. Am I right?
Answer below by voting and explaining in comments. Let's keep this peaceful as I mean no trouble at all. I have several lesbian, gay, bisexual, and even transgendered friends. less
Answer below by voting and explaining in comments. Let's keep this peaceful as I mean no trouble at all. I have several lesbian, gay, bisexual, and even transgendered friends. less
02/18/2013