This strikes me as accurate. The nuances of attraction (i.e. "I like redheads") and identity are probably established later - puberty or later - but the basic Kinsey 0-6, plus or minus gender dysphoria is probably firm by age 5 and is possibly inborn to some degree. Most studies I've seen on trans people has them indicating they felt gender dysphoria for as long as they can remember in a vague sense and by 4 or 5 in a definite sense. The dysphoria becomes more pronounced at puberty, sure - but that's because of the physical changes. My own experience with being a lesbian is similar - my feelings that boys had cooties seem in retrospect way more pronounced than that of they typical kindergartener. I agree with relique above as well. A person can have some basic orientation but life (in the form of trauma or meeting "the one") can cause certain aspects to be emphasized or deemphasized. I mean, a person can be bi-leans-gay but be partnered with an opposite-sex person. It happens all the time - largely because the statistics of meeting a compatible at-least-bi person of the same sex is less than meeting a compatible at-least-bi person of the opposite sex. QED.
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branchandroot
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Date: 29 May 2011 11:12 pm (UTC)The nuances of attraction (i.e. "I like redheads") and identity are probably established later - puberty or later - but the basic Kinsey 0-6, plus or minus gender dysphoria is probably firm by age 5 and is possibly inborn to some degree.
Most studies I've seen on trans people has them indicating they felt gender dysphoria for as long as they can remember in a vague sense and by 4 or 5 in a definite sense. The dysphoria becomes more pronounced at puberty, sure - but that's because of the physical changes.
My own experience with being a lesbian is similar - my feelings that boys had cooties seem in retrospect way more pronounced than that of they typical kindergartener.
I agree with