Werner10.22
Biology,
Psychology and Anthropology
However, childhood gender non-conformity
consistently predicts adult homosexual orientations, in North
America and Europe, as well as other cultures (Phillips and Over
1992; Cardoso 1994; Green 1987; Whitam and Mathy 1986; Whitam
and Zent 1984). While homosexuals are more likely to have been
effeminate as boys, there are still many homosexual males who
have reported more normal childhoods (Phillips and Over 1992).
Weinrich and his colleagues (cited in LeVay 1994) showed that
it is the homosexuals who prefer a more "passive" role
(as "insertee") who are most likely to have been effeminate
boys. These findings have led researchers like Green to propose
causal models for homosexuality that begin with the influences
of genes and pre-natal hormones. Characteristics of parents (like
the desire for a girl or a boy) might affect acceptance or tolerance
of feminine behavior in boys, which in turn might affect their
adult femininity, but have less effect on their homosexuality.