ABSTRACT
Considerable interest has been focused on adolescents and young adults who self-identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) and the degree to which they manifest gender atypical behavior in childhood and early adolescence. The authors examined the relationship between the developmental milestones related to sexual orientation development and childhood gender atypicality. They also examined the relationships of childhood gender atypicality to two indicators of current adjustment: self-esteem and internalized homophobia. Internalized homophobia might more clearly reflect concerns about early gender atypicality. It has been linked to many difficulties among adult LGB people. Promoting self-acceptance by diminishing internalized homophobia has been a fundamental element of contemporary counseling methods and prevention programs, especially for youth. The consequences to LGB youth of their evolving sexual orientation, and the gender atypicality of some youth, include explicit efforts by parents to decrease gender atypicality.
