I got a kick out of Sarah's entry on Obviously Gay Traits. It inspired me to make my own list:
1. Liked playing with dolls as a kid.
2. And sewing machines.
3. And purses.
4. Known in kindergarten as a tattle tale.
5. Didn't learn to play basketball and softball until adulthood. I can pass a football now.
6. But still tend to throw like a girl.
7. Still don't really "get" football, although I keep trying, Superbowl after Superbowl.
8. Like musicals.
9. Like opera.
10. Like ballet.
11. Like classical music. And jazz, too.
12. Counterclock wise hair whorl.
13. Non-straight finger length ratio.
14. Some sweaty guys smell good to me.
15. Swim for exercise and to test my underwater vision.
16. Like spring and summer because guys take off their shirts.
17. Enjoy hanging out with guys of all ages.
But I also have a list of LSTs or Latent Straight Traits:
1. Liked dating girls.
2. Mostly happily married for 30+ years.
3. Love my wife and wish for return of our early honeymoon days.
4. Biological father of my children. No lab interventions necessary. :)
5. Attracted to beautiful intelligent women, hence my marriage to my wife.
6. Not particularly in touch with fashion. May be a bit color blind.
7. Enjoy some competitive sports.
8. Usually comfortable hanging with my straight buddies.
9. Fan of some country music.
OK the second list isn't quite as long, and maybe no more valid than some of the points on the first list. So what do I conclude from this? Nothing all that new. I've ranged on the Kinsey Scale from a low of 2 to a high of 5. Two when I was first married, more hopeful and probably much more in denial. More recently as I've become more honest with myself and others I tend to be in the 4-5 range, but I've never been a one or a six. My two lists tend to support this.
My questions for you: What are your OGTs and LSTs? Have they remained stable or have they changed over time?
The lists, though often falling into a stereotypical pattern of simularity, greatly vary from one individual to the next.
ReplyDeleteDo they change over time? Mine don't change drastically. My awareness of them may increase or decrease, but they tend to stay what they are.
The one thing that doesn't change, however, is the attraction to the same sex / gender. In my case, that remains firm and constant.
about the best i can come up is that i have no interest in spectator sports. it's not a testosterone issue: i'm competitve, territorial, bald, with a low voice and high libido. but i see a pair of big boobs and i think, don't they get in the way?
ReplyDeleteBeck: I'm glad you actually put it into the words "attraction to the same sex". It's still hard for me to say that I'm gay or SSA or SGA. Internalized homophobia? It's much easier for me to use more ambiguous terms like "enjoy hanging out with guys" which is also true for the OSA or OGA population. Thanks for the dose of reality.
ReplyDeleteSantorio: LOL on your line about boobs. I guess this gets back to my bisexuality. I like breasts/pecs of females/males. For me they certainly didn't get in the way. Whether the chest is male or female, the most important aspect to me is who does the chest belong to.
Ned, My list would be different in some ways, but general themes are consistent. You are a good man. I am glad to be getting acquainted with you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that affirmation, Bravone! Thanks also for the post you made on your own blog about a "death". I relate strongly to much of what you said there. Thanks for writing it and giving me the perspective to reflect on my own sometimes painful but instructive journey.
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