[Dickie1958]

As a 7 year old boy I wanted to assume the identity of another boy in my class in school. I even followed him throughout the local area. I was envious of him in totality. Looks, dress, physical appearance, including physique.

Have always concluded a psychological pathology.

40+ years later I still am attracted to males. In a physical sense.

I assume therefore I am gay.

Comments welcome.

[Skeezyks]

Hello Dickie1958: The Skeezyks grew up at a time, & in a place, where there were 2 genders... male & female and only one acceptable sexual orientation... hetero... That was it. And if you didn't happen to fit neatly into those categories (the Skeezyks didn't), you damned well kept it to yourself, if you knew what was good for you!

Anyway... one thing I've learned recently is that there are many resting places along the sexual orientation / gender identity continuum. I still don't really understand all of the different labels that get tossed around nowadays. I don't know if you're gay or not. Only you can make that determination. But wherever you find your resting place, along the sexual orientation continuum... it's okay...

[Artchic528]

Dickie, like Skeezyks said, only you can determine if you're gay or not. Also, like Seezyks says, there is a spectrum for both sexuality and gender identity. Maybe talking to a therapist about where you feel you fall in these spectrums might be beneficial.

Things to consider when determining where on the sexuality spectrum you fall are if you feel any attraction sexually to males, or if you maybe are interested in them romantically, as in you'd like to be with one in a relationship.

My sexuality is something I've struggled with as I grew up. It not only confused me as to why I felt the way I did about the same sex, but I felt ashamed and repulsed by it as my maternal grandmother was a devout and conservative Catholic woman and sought to it that I was raised the same under my mother's care. I also felt I would be teased mercilessly by my peers if those feelings I had were made public. It wasn't until I was in my late 20's that I finally made the decision that, hey, I had these feelings about other women, and it was perfectly okay to have them. I was done fighting them, done feeling ashamed. It was a very freeing and liberating experience.

Anyways, I hope you're not repressing anything to the point of feeling ashamed and repulsed by it. It's unnecessary IMHO to feel that way about one's own sexuality. I hope you find peace somehow, someway with whichever sexuality you have.

[ablankscript]

You say 40+ years later, what have you been doing for all these years? Have you had any experiences or relationships? Were they with women or men? Gay or straight is really a preference question. Would you rather have a man touch you or a woman? Do men or women turn you on? Whose body would you rather feel pressed close against yours? Don't run away from who you are, nowadays it isn't as hard being gay.

[Mandi29]

Hey, hope your well

I too was in the same situation as a child, I was attracted to the female teachers. I also had a crush on a female friend but did nothing with it... Never been attracted to males but I feel this is to being sexually abused from young to early teens....

I am attracted to females but never really done anything about it in a serious way. and due to not being in a serious relationship with either male or female I am not sure..

But the fact is if I had to chose I would go for a female so I gather that answers this question,,, I feel people love people no matter there sexual orientation,,, it's a feeling when you meet them...

[Lost_in_the_woods]

Only you know or can figure out your sexual orientation. It does not require anyone else's input or opinion. This is your journey and yours alone. If it feels natural to you that you are gay and that is the sexual lifestyle that you wish to pursue...then go for it! And congrats on coming to a profound relization about the core of your sexual being! Wishing you much happiness and love