Since the day we are born, society places gender stereotypes and labels on the way boys and girls are supposed to look, behave, feel, and interact with others. We are taught as small children that boys are associated with the color blue, play with trucks and action figures, and are not supposed to show their feelings or cry. Girls on the other hand are associated with the color pink, play dress-up and dolls, and are supposed to act like sweet little angels. Although society may place these labels on all of us, there are many who do not conform to such gender roles. These individuals are then quickly judged by society and viewed as deviants because they are nonconforming to gender norms. One topic of interest to researchers is the future effects of these nonconforming individuals. This concept is focused on and studied in the article “Sexual Orientation and Childhood Gender Nonconformity: Evidence from Home Videos,” written by Bailey et al. The concept of gender nonconformity is extremely significant when studying human sexuality because it raises the issues of labeling those who do not conform to the norms of society and it also raises the controversial issue of sexual orientation.
In this article, Bailey et al. are exploring the effects of gender nonconformity as a child and the possible correlation these children have to those who do not conform as adults. The authors compare and contrast the behaviors, interests, and feelings of those who are heterosexual and homosexual. These comparisons raise the important question of “If children are gender nonconforming, will they also be as adults and therefore be homosexual?” In other words, “is gender nonconformity in childhood related to that individual being homosexual in adulthood?”
They were interested in estimating the prediction and relationships of nonconformity in children and adults, heterosexuals and homosexuals. Lastly they were interested in knowing if these individuals who saw themselves as...