Gender Roles and Influenced Sexuality

 Men and women are designed to be different. Before you come at me with pitchforks and flaming torches, listen. Some believe that women and men are equal in all aspects of life, but biologically, it just doesn't work like that. I'm not saying men deserve to be paid more than women or women are not qualified for the tough jobs that men are usually better suited for. I am not for that sexist mindset. But let's talk about that for a moment.

Generally speaking, what words are used to describe a man? You may think of the following: strong, protective, hardworking. What about a woman? Sensitive, caring, nurturing. What if we flip-flopped those qualities? A woman that is strong, protective, hardworking. Some may say she's just an independent working woman that can provide for herself. Now, let's discuss a man that is sensitive, caring, and nurturing. Immediately, someone may insensitively say he's "femmy" or "gay." Why is it that when a woman takes on more masculine qualities, it's seen in a positive light, but when a man takes on qualities that are considered to be more feminine, it's not depicted the same way?

Yes, scientifically, due to hormone exposure and genetics in general, it is in a man's biology to be more aggressive and strong--tough overall. Several studies have shown that even without parental influence, children will play with toys that are typically associated with their gender. Boys will naturally gravitate towards the trucks or toy guns, and girls will play with the dolls and treat them like their own baby. But sometimes, from childhood, a man will be interested in more feminine things. We need to normalize that that doesn't make a man any less of a man, but we also need to normalize that it doesn't automatically make a man homosexual.

You may be a little confused, or you may be thinking, "well, duh." Humor me for a minute and think about what I'm about to say with an open mind. When parents notice their son is interested in more feminine things and develops feminine tendencies and qualities, they treat them differently. They treat them almost as if they are gay, or will become gay, before the child even knows what homosexuality or sexuality is at all. Without sexuality, there can't be homosexuality or heterosexuality. That influence makes the child think they are supposed to be homosexual and that in no way they can be heterosexual.

What if parents treated their child as they normally would and made sure their child didn't feel different from other kids? Would the child grow up to be the way they were biologically intended, rather than the way society influenced them to be? Of course, outside influences come into play when other children are involved. Kids tend to make fun of what they don't understand.

I want to ask this question: what can we do to stop that from happening? Honestly, I don't think it'll ever stop. However, I know that when I have my own children and raise them, I will treat them equally no matter what. If my son is interested in dolls, so be it. If my daughter is interested in trucks, so be it. I refuse to treat my child differently because they display qualities that may be against the biological grain of their gender.

The issue I mentioned earlier--kids treating others differently--as parents and future parents, it is vital that we teach our children to respect our differences as human beings. As a generation, if we successfully instill this in our children, we can make a difference.

Just for clarification, I am in no way saying that homosexuality is bad or makes someone a bad person. I am not saying that. However, I am saying that maybe societal and parental influence can be the cause of or kick-start someone's sexuality.

What are your thoughts? I would love to hear your opinion in the comment section.

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Thank you for reading!

-Katie

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