Did you 'know' you were gay as a child?

I never felt romantic attraction of any kind until middle school, so like 13. I didn't even become aware of my sexuality until then, and I definitely knew I was bi, so that scared me half out of my skin.

 

When I was little, I actually had crushes on guys. I started crushing on girls after puberty.

 

I knew when I was 13.... You may be overthinking it... your friends and upbringing may have "hidden" your true feelings when you were younger.

 

I knew way back in elementary school around age 8 or 9. I definitely had crushes on the boys, lol. I remember one time in 4th grade I was in the bathroom and this one other kid came in that I thought was cute and he took his shirt off to change it or something. I remember thinking "man that's sexy" and I didn't want to look away. Needless to say I had that image stuck in my little prepubescent head for quite a while. Lol

 

Nope.. had no idea back then.
but was always different/didn't fit in

 

I've always had crushes on other women like my teachers, my first crush was on my grade 5 teacher. But I didn't realize I was gay when I was a kid.

 

Well, I certainly didn't get any cues about sexual orientation at a young age that I can recall.

Everything kind of started when I was like 12 or 13, that was when I realized I wanted to be a girl and did everything in my power to try to ignore it.

I didn't really accept being LGBT of any sort until I was like 20 though.

 

People develop at different rates. I hear of people who say they remember crushing on people at 5, but I honestly can't recall feeling any type of attraction (physical or emotional) until I was about 10. At first, it was just on guys, but a year later, I started to notice girls as well. By 12, I came out as bisexual.

Anyway, regardless of who you had crushes on when you were in preschool, I think what matters most is how you feel NOW. If you're being true to yourself, there's no way that you would be a "fake gay" if you decide that's the most appropriate label for you.

 

I guess I first started to realise something was "wrong" when I first started having sexual fantasies at around 13 or 14. Any earlier than that, I really can't say - although I would think not (?)
I was brought up being taught that boys were supposed to like girls and that when they got older they loved each other as man and woman.
I think my first physical sexual fantasy was of a girl, but I soon found myself fantasising over a male school friend of mine. I remember feeling quite dirty at the time and promised myself to only think of girls in the future, yet I soon found my mind thinking of boys again. I tried to think of girls, but only fantasies of boys (and then as I grew up, men) were ever fulfilling.
Over the years I've tried to think of women as sexually attractive to me, but in the end only men turn me on properly, (although I'm still in the closet and have never actually had sex with a man).

 

I actually started becoming attracted to guys before I became attracted to girls. It's weird.

 

I've known for as long as I can remember, although I didn't really accept it until this last year.

 

If I knew what being gay was back then (other than some horribly narrowcasting stereotypical comments from adults about cross-dressing, which one's the woman, etc...) I suppose I would have understood it for what it is at a rather young age, like 5 or 6.

 

I definitely knew at a very young age - and by that, I mean like 5 years old when I was in kindergarten. I know it sounds crazy, like how can someone possibly know at such a young age, but it's true.

My whole life, ever since I was old enough to talk and to dress myself or at least choose what I wear, I've rejected dresses and all feminine clothes. My halloween costumes when I was in elementary school included the white power ranger (not even the pink girl one), a black ninja, a fireman (and I emphasize man), and a doctor. Most girls wanted to be princesses or a pretty witch or something, but no, I was a power ranger and a ninja. Most girls try on their mother's clothes, walk around in their mother's high heels, and secretly use their mother's makeup; I, on the other hand, snuck into my dad's closet to try on his dress pants, button-up shirts, and I tried on all his ties. I bought most of my clothes from the boys department, and I always wanted my hair cut short. I hung out with the guys at school and played dodgeball, wall ball, basketball, etc. When I'd hang out with some of my female friends and we'd play house or whatever, I was always the dad. At home by myself, I'd build legos and play with those transformer things and had Hot Wheels and model cars, while most girls had barbies and dolls. So just physically and behaviorally, it was blatant that I'm gay from a young age. I don't know how my parents didn't see it!

Emotionally, I always had crushes on girls even in elementary school. They were all mini, fleeting crushes but crushes nonetheless. I had small crushes on guys as well, but I actually realized that it was only that I admired them and wish I could BE them...not be with them. So they weren't really crushes but more of just wishing I could be a dude like them. I found that I only get emotionally attached to girls, even if they're just friends that I didn't have feelings for. In terms of feelings, I had crushes on girls all throughout elementary and junior high, and it wasn't until 8th grade that I seriously fell for a girl who I'm still in love with now (as a junior in college). Too bad she's straight and broke my heart a million times.

Anyways, yes, I knew I was gay from a very early age, and you can see how! I'm like a walking stereotype of a lesbian...even as a child. I always knew I was different just based on the ways I dressed and the things that I was interested in.

 

No, I didn't know until my freshman year of high school that I'm bisexual... well more Pansexual now that I've dated alot of different people, and am I attracted to them all there was some things in my childhood that may have indicated who I am though.

 

i didn't realize i was gay until i was 12. as a child, i had attraction towards guys when i was between 6 and 7 years old but i didn't have a single clue that that was what the definition of gay was nor have i ever heard of the word gay.

 

I'm not sure... I don't really remember when I figured it out. :icon_redf I blocked out a lot of my childhood so I really can not remember much.

 

I knew around age 4 or 5 that I had crushes on both boys and girls.
My first kiss was actually with a 5-6 year old that was my sister's-then-boyfriend's little brother.
Although I hardly remember it, I do recall trying to hide from his mom at his house and kissing when nobody looked.

It wasn't until I was 12 that I knew for sure that I liked both.

 

I knew I liked guys in a romantic, perhaps one could say "girl-like" way when I was a child. I even argued with my mother and sister about how "so and so" male celebrity was more attractive than "so and so." (Which apparently still never tipped them off lol :rolle.

It wasn't until maybe 5th grade/6th grade or so that I realized the social conservatives I was surrounded by didn't view this as "appropriate" behavior.

 

I think everyone in my school had a better gaydar than me because when I was in 2nd grade I distinctly remember people singling me out, making fun of me and calling me gay constantly. I didn't even know I was gay yet, so their prediction was rather good. So second grade the questioning started, but then I "decided" that I wasn't gay and I became anti-gay for a long time. It wasn't until my sophmore year of high school that I realized what I was trying to avoid.