Adolescence Sexual Orientation Essay

Adolescent Sexual Orientation In today’s society, coming out as being gay, lesbian, or anything other than what is considered normal, can make an adolescent more stressed than usual. The main task of adolescence is establishing one’s identity, and coming out as gay, or as a lesbian adds to a child’s stress. There are many unique challenges gay/lesbian children come across as they struggle with this task of adolescence into young adulthood. Although they do face these unique challenges, they become more resilient and more skilled, than their heterosexual counterparts as adults. As children in their adolescent stage, they experience a period of gender intensification, or when gender stereotyping of attitudes and behavior increase, and they move toward a more traditional gender identity. Although both sexes experience this time in their lives, it is more prominent for young girls who feel that they can’t experiment with activities, which are more focused for the opposite gender, as much as they would like (Berk, 2012). In society today, the social media have established the social norms of what children should grow up to be. The toy catalogues are separated by gender, where the boy sections are blue and include monster trucks and other “masculine” toys, while the girl sections are pink and include more “feminine” toys, along with toys that train girls to become stay at home mothers. Children who are gay or lesbian, especially those who are girls, grow to become stronger, more resilient adults because, they are more likely to actually expand their boundaries when it comes to trying the activities they are interested in as children. As adults, these children will be better-rounded, and more qualified for jobs, because they experienced more than those of their heterosexual co-workers. Adolescence is the primary time when children are constantly comparing themselves to each other about their looks, which activities they do, what they wear, and who they like. When

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