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Austin's Atheism Blog

By Austin Cline, About.com Guide to Atheism since 1998

Is Your Boy Gay? How To Tell...

Monday August 15, 2005
Religious conservatives must spend a lot of time worrying about whether their boys will grow up to be gay. I guess a gay son can't be counted upon to ensure the preservation of masculinity and masculine control of society in the future.

Gene Stone reproduces (with commentary) the seven signs of "gender confusion" in boys 5 to 11 which Focus on the Family says parents should watch out for:

1) Your boy has a strong feeling he is “different from other boys.” As we all know, boys must feel exactly like all other boys, or else they are clearly homosexual.

2) “A tendency to cry easily, be less athletic, and dislike the roughhousing that other boys enjoy.” Of course, on a relative scale, some boys are bound to be less athletic than others. Well, sorry. These boys are gay.

3) “A persistent preference to play female roles in make-believe play.” When you see him play cowboys and Indians, and he wants to be the squaw... uh, oh.

4) “A strong preference to spend time in the company of girls and participate in their games and other pastimes.” For example, boys must never play with their sisters. Isn’t that the leading cause of homosexuality right there?

5) “A susceptibility to be bullied by other boys, who may tease them unmercifully and call them ‘queer,’ ‘fag’ and ‘gay.’” Yes, parents, if the kid next door calls your son a fag, then he is. Four year-old neighbors have a sixth sense: They see gay people.

6) “A tendency to walk, talk, dress and even ‘think’ effeminately.” Effeminate thinking is destroying our nation; someone better tell Condoleeza Rice.

7). “A repeatedly stated desire to be -- or insistence that he is -- a girl.” This is the clearest sign. Apparently, your young homosexual will actually announce his sexual orientation by telling you, while drinking his juicy-juice, that he is actually a girl. Not a gay. A girl.

According to Dobson, any boy displaying “several” of these signs should be rushed off for professional help right away — before reaching puberty. Evidently, once the boys hit puberty the adolescent hormones kick in and teens experience “great waves of guilt accompanied by secret fears of divine retribution.” I guess parents aren’t supposed to consider that this could be alleviated by ceasing to promote narrow-minded religious ideas about homosexuality.

It’s curious that the document in question appears to be about both boys and girls, but only signs of “gender confusion” in boys are listed. It’s almost as if girls don’t really count.

Read More:

Comments

April 19, 2007 at 1:17 pm
(1) James says:

That document is the most rubbish, completely false thing I have ever read.

July 29, 2007 at 8:07 pm
(2) Ben Dover says:

James’s response suggests that he himself is gay…

September 17, 2007 at 8:00 pm
(3) God says:

This is the most retarded thing I’ve ever read. Please, commit suicide.

March 1, 2008 at 6:56 pm
(4) Ryan says:

Hey, YOUR A STUPID F***

im serious your ignorant ass should go off and blow your fucking head

This Is Shit and i hope you die a horrably painful death

August 7, 2008 at 9:25 pm
(5) Judy says:

Mt father is an Atheist and I think you people are STUPID, DUMB ASS IDIOTS that can’t even read or write English! Go have offspring with your sisters…what a joke this advice is!

August 8, 2008 at 6:17 am
(6) Austin Cline says:

what a joke this advice is!

Did you not notice that the “advice” comes from Focus on the Family and is being criticized?

August 28, 2008 at 10:09 am
(7) Loop says:

Are you people complete idiots? This wasn’t advice–it was MOCKING advice posted elsewhere. Honestly, people–learn to read before you comment on an article. Morons.

October 16, 2008 at 11:34 pm
(8) Steve says:

this was not an advice… this was the most stupid thing I have ever read. You’re completely disgusting and insane!! please KILL YOURSELF… you f**ker.

October 17, 2008 at 6:39 am
(9) Austin Cline says:

this was not an advice… this was the most stupid thing I have ever read.

You don’t seem to have noticed that I was being critical of the quoted text.

You’re completely disgusting and insane!! please KILL YOURSELF.

With a comment like that, you’re really no better than the people behind the quoted text.

November 19, 2008 at 11:31 am
(10) tweaky says:

Austin – your humour is witty and clever. Sadly, most people who have posted comments are not. Do not give up. Some of us out here do understand irony.

November 29, 2008 at 7:13 pm
(11) Father says:

I think all the people who have commented on this site are GAY. So don’t waste time trying to safe this world as it will soon be judged.

November 29, 2008 at 7:17 pm
(12) Father says:

I think most of the people who have commented on this site are GAY. So don’t waste time trying to safe this world as it will soon be judged.Remember the prophecies concerning the end time must come to pass and gay sex is one of them. But thanks for your effort.

November 29, 2008 at 7:17 pm
(13) Father says:

I think most of the people who have commented on this site are GAY. So don’t waste time trying to safe this world as it will soon be judged.Remember the prophecies concerning the end time must come to pass and gay sex is one of them. But thanks for your effort. Wrong Email there so don’t try mailing.

December 1, 2008 at 4:18 pm
(14) Mark says:

What aload of crap!!!

December 2, 2008 at 10:34 pm
(15) Keandre says:

Ahahaha, NO! This is SO stoopid, whoever made this is either stupid or has no life

December 31, 2008 at 8:32 pm
(16) Jacob Hill says:

Reading that article made me feel like I was in the early 1900s. As a young homosexual I have experienced a lot of heartache growing up, seeing all of my friends with there girlfriends!

This has angered me so much and you should be ashamed to even have these thoughts in your head!

I would like to meet you and set the records right!

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