Children begin to manifest traits parents perceive as "feminity" or "masculinity" from the time they begin to express their personalitieas and preferences. Certainly when they become independent enough to start making their own choices.
Some parents seem to want to steer their little girls away from boy toys and boyish behaviors and don't mind if they are extra sensitive and dainty. They want to steer their little boys away from dolls and prefer to see their boys be a little stoic and rough and tumble instead of being ultra sensitive.
I have a gay cousin and he always was feminine, even as a toddler. That's why we got along so well, as his brother preferred to play with my brothers.
His uncle (Dad's brother) was gay. Don't know further back, not my family line. Far as I know this is the only gay "gene" in my family. He is a great person.
Reading this thread made me think about how terrible it must be to always live knowing that some people despise and are disgusted by you, merely for being you.
Being more feminine does not mean a guy is attracted to men, however.
I happen to think it's a sad situation, however, which is one reason it appalls me that our culture seems to actually push the lifestyle.
Would it be wrong for people to despise and be disgusted by you if you were dispicable and disgusting?
Was Jeffry Dahlmer merely being himself? Were we wrong to expect him to change?
Some people are insufferable. Not just socially, literally. To stick their heads in the sand and say, "You should love me for who I am" is the height of arrogance and selfishness.
Shalom.
Reading your comments made me think how people continue to spout homosexual activist propaganda even on FR... Going so far as associating a person with a chosen disordered activity and implying that one must accept disordered activity to respect a fellow human being. You seem to confuse a person with what a person does? I would suggest that you are confused...
I'm in a creative field, and so I tend to encounter more gays than most would, here on FR. In my observation, they run the gamut, from extremely effeminate in thought process, gesture and physical build, to quite masculine, to the point that you wouldn't "know" unless they told you. As a result, I can't help but speculate that there's more than one source for the behavior. Whether this is some sort of recessive gene, genetic defect or hormonal exposure in the womb, the ultra-effeminate ones are caricatures of women, in every way but one. The others, I really don't know what could be responsible, other than childhood sexual abuse.
This is just an opinion that I've formed over two decades of working in photography, graphic design, marketing and advertising, which do have far more gay men than most other fields of endeavor. If you disagree, feel free to flame. I know this is a hot-button topic, for just about everybody. It's my two cents on the matter, for what that's worth.
What do you mean by this? What do you consider "feminine" attributes or "masculine" attributes? Is a male perceived by society to be homosexual if he is not perceived by society to have the attributes we assign to males? What about males who cry easily, enjoy the arts, but choose to have sex with women?
Just asking.
Ask that family how they feel about Pope Benedict.
People find other human beings unacceptable (and some even "despise" others, you're right) all the time. Homosexuals have no room to wiggle in this area as victims of a judgemental world, given their adament hatred to and about so many others, other beliefs.
You've described learned behaviors among family group/s. A male child learning to chose submissive, "more feminine" behaviors almost certainly because he found some communicative and affectionate reward in doing so.
It's behavioral. As to social acceptance, the world of human behaviors can be a rough place. Most people are regarded well who regard others well, in my experience. But, regarding bad behaviors as being well and unacceptable conditions as being acceptable is a betrayal of personal ethics.