I come within the "substantial portion of homosexual men who exhibited chronic, persistent unmasculinity in childhood [but] showed no symptoms of effeminacy", but feel the need to comment on each "symptom".
A Fear of Injury
No doubt about that one and it still applies today. (Not to be confused with a fear of pain.) It links with E.
B Fear of Rough-and-tumble play
Is this not just an aspect of A and simply the way it is most likely to be manifested?
C Non-participation in group sports
This has a lot to do with A (have you felt how hard cricket balls are?) and B (most group sports involve bodily contact). Also most, if not all, sports, whether group or not, involve some form of body/eye coordination, which is an aspect of E.
D Loner
Sort of, but not quite. B and C may be perceived as an unwillingness to engage in group activity. I don't think there is a shying away from group activity as such. There is, however, a certain feeling that you are set apart in some way.
E Body Dissatisfaction - feels fragile, weak, vulnerable to injury
Dale O'Leary has latched onto something here, but not quite understood it. "Body Dissatisfaction" suggests that you want to be different from the way you are; it's not that at all. "Feels fragile, weak, vulnerable to injury" is just another way of putting A. It is difficult to explain, but it is something like this: You feel in some strange way that your body does not belong to you, or perhaps that your body and mind are not in complete harmony; in a subtle way you are not at home in the physical world and sometimes lack an awareness of your surroundings - this is not to be confused wth dispraxia or ordinary clumsiness, but does tend to manifest itself in a lack of body/eye coordination. All in all, it would be far better to be an angel!
Commenting generally I find that Dale O'Leary's language (e.g. the use of words such as "chronic" and "symptons") tends to suggest that being gay is an illness, whereas it is just one of the ways of being human. (I appreciate that may not be her intention, but it is the way she comes across.) Also, there is a danger in this sort of study. Whilst it may be interesting (if in the end not particularly useful) to investigate what gay men may have in common it does not mean either (a) that all gay men exhibited in boyhood the traits she describes or (b) (and this is the real danger) that they are predictors of a boy's sexuality. Human sexuality is wonderfully complex and individual behaviours exist across a wide spectrum. Labels can be useful, but we must not be ruled by them.
It is useful, and certainly amusing, if for a change one starts from the standpoint that being gay is the "default", and being straight the "deviation". I give you the
HETEROSEXUAL QUESTIONNAIRE
This questionnaire is for self-avowed heterosexuals only. If you are not openly heterosexual, pass it on to a friend who is. Please try to answer the questions as candidly as possible. Your responses will be held in strict confidence and your anonymity fully protected.
1. What do you think caused your heterosexuality?
2. When and how did you first decide you were a heterosexual?
3. Is it possible your heterosexuality is just a phase you may grow out of?
4. Could it be that your heterosexuality stems from a neurotic fear of others of the same sex?
5. If you’ve never slept with a person of the same sex, how can you be sure you wouldn’t prefer that?
6. To whom have you disclosed your heterosexual tendencies? How did they react?
7. Why do heterosexuals feel compelled to seduce others into their lifestyle?
8. Why do you insist on flaunting your heterosexuality? Can’t you just be what you are and keep it quiet?
9. Would you want your children to be heterosexual, knowing the problems they’d face?
10. A disproportionate majority of child molesters are heterosexual men. Do you consider it safe to expose children to heterosexual male teachers, pediatricians, priests, or scoutmasters?
11. With all the societal support for marriage, the divorce rate is spiraling. Why are there so few stable relationships among heterosexuals?
12. Why do heterosexuals place so much emphasis on sex?
13. Considering the menace of overpopulation, how could the human race survive if everyone were heterosexual?
14. Could you trust a heterosexual therapist to be objective? Don’t you fear s/he might be inclined to influence you in the direction of her/his own leanings?
15. Heterosexuals are notorious for assigning themselves and one another rigid, stereotyped sex roles. Why must you cling to such unhealthy role-playing?
16. With the sexually segregated living conditions of military life, isn’t heterosexuality incompatible with military service?
17. How can you enjoy an emotionally fulfilling experience with a person of the other sex when there are such vast differences between you? How can a man know what pleases a woman sexually or vice-versa?
18. Shouldn’t you ask your far-out straight cohorts, like skinheads and born-agains, to keep quiet? Wouldn’t that improve your image?
19. Why are heterosexuals so promiscuous?
20. Why do you attribute heterosexuality to so many famous *** and gay people? Is it to justify your own heterosexuality?
21. How can you hope to actualize your God-given homosexual potential if you limit yourself to exclusive, compulsive heterosexuality?
22. There seem to be very few happy heterosexuals. Techniques have been developed that might enable you to change if you really want to. After all, you never deliberately chose to be a heterosexual, did you? Have you considered aversion therapy or Heterosexuals Anonymous?