MALES’ SEXUAL PREFERENCE: CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY
Comparisons of homosexual and heterosexual experiences
In addition to what has already been reviewed, some theorists have suggested that it is not so much whether a boy has homosexual or heterosexual experiences but rather their relative priority or enjoyment that is important for predisposing him toward homosexuality, on the one hand, or heterosexuality, on the other. It has been suggested, for example, that around the time of puberty, when the male sex drive emerges most powerfully, boys who happen to have a heterosexual experience first will be conditioned toward heterosexuality, while those who happen to have a homosexual experience first will be conditioned toward homosexuality. The important element here, then, would be not whether a boy happens to have a homosexual experience at all but whether he has it first. Others have suggested that, given both homosexual and heterosexual experiences, a boy is likely to be heavily influenced in forming his sexual orientation by which type of experience happened to be more pleasant. One investigator, for example, found that homosexual men are likely to recall having enjoyed their pre-adult homosexual activities more than their pre-adult heterosexual activities.
Age at puberty, masturbation, and orgasm during sleep
Our interview schedule did not include any open-ended questions regarding sexual maturation, masturbation, or orgasm during sleep; hence illustrative quotations are not provided.
Some theorists have suggested that a person’s age at sexual maturation affects sexual orientation, hypothesizing that prehomosexual boys tend to be sexually more precocious than their heterosexual counterparts. Those who mature earliest, it has been argued, are more likely to eroticize their relationships with other males, simply because at early ages boys associate more with one another than with girls. Thus a strong sexual preference for boys could already be established by the time sociosexual contacts with girls normally occur.
A number of studies have found that prehomosexual boys are indeed younger than preheterosexual boys when they first become sexually active. One study reported that prehomosexual boys reached orgasm for the first time at earlier ages than did their preheterosexual counterparts. Other investigators have reported earlier and more frequent masturbation by prehomosexual boys, as well as more sexual contact during childhood and adolescence.
Parents’ sexual attitudes
As noted previously, socialization in our society clearly favors the development of heterosexuality. Thus, it has been suggested that if homosexuality develops, it is likely to be the result of special circumstances that discourage “normal” heterosexual development. One investigator has suggested, for example, that puritanical parents may discourage their children from heterosexual involvements or convince them that such involvements are shameful, and thus inadvertently predispose them to homosexuality.
We suggest that sexual preference is likely to be established quite early in life and that childhood and adolescent sexual expressions by and large reflect rather than determine a person’s underlying sexual preference. For example, the experiences of homosexual arousal during childhood and adolescence and involvement in genital-type homosexual activities were very strong indicators of future, adult homosexuality—so strong, in fact, as to appear to be part and parcel of a person’s sexual preference rather than simply independent influences on eventual sexual preference.
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