Adult sexual orientation in relation to memories of childhood gender conforming and gender nonconforming behaviors.

Abstract

Heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual men recalled the extent to which they had engaged in gender conforming (masculine) and gender nonconforming (feminine) behaviors as a child. Adult sexual orientation was predicted as accurately by memories of childhood gender conforming behaviors as by memories of childhood gender nonconforming behaviors. However, childhood scripts as recalled by homosexual men were considerably more diverse. Twenty-two of 61 homosexual men reported having experienced few, if any, of the gender conforming behaviors and most, if not all, of the gender nonconforming behaviors. Another 18 homosexual men had the same profile of recalled childhood experiences as heterosexual men (high probability of masculine behaviors and low probability of feminine behaviors). Such diversity has implications not only for commentaries on the basis for homosexuality but for issues to be addressed in future research.