ABSTRACT
Frequently, the first ‘sign’ of being gay is gender nonconformity. The only variable that was correlated with adult sexual orientation was childhood gender nonconformity, and that continues to be true today. In other words, girls who were tomboys and boys who exhibited more feminine interests and behaviors were likely to grow up gay. The relationship was particularly strong for boys. Gender nonconformity is often evident many years before sexual or romantic attractions emerge. Gender nonconformity in girls is generally more accepted, at least until adolescence. Bibliotherapy is often helpful, and one should be able to suggest books and websites that provide information that counters homophobia. Peer support groups of other gays and lesbians are indispensable. Some gay people are subjected to a particularly virulent form of religiously based discrimination: reparative therapy, also called conversion therapy. Studies suggest that people who have undergone conversion therapy experience elevated rates of depression and suicidality.
