Gender Identity Disorders and Homosexuality: When Do Symptoms First Occur?

In the past, mental health experts have referred to people with gender identity disorders (GID) as transsexuals. However, when the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Volume IV (DSM-IV) came out, it referred to transsexuality as a gender identity disorder.

In this article, the terms transsexualism and GID are used interchangeably. A person with GID is defined as a person who is uncomfortable with his/her own genitals and believes he/she is trapped in the body of the other sex. The typical example is a man who thinks he is trapped in a woman's body.

At what age do people first show signs of homosexuality and bisexuality?

According to the DSM-IV published by the American Psychiatric Association, parents go to professionals asking for help for their children ages 2-4 years who are showing cross-gender behaviors. Such parents are typically in distress regarding the unorthodox gender behaviors of their children.

An example of a cross-gender behavior would be a little boy who prefers to put on his sister's clothes and have a tea party rather than wear a cowboy outfit and play with guns. So one might assume that those children (whose parents sought help when they were 2-4 years) with cross-gender behaviors might grow up to be transsexuals. In fact, that is not the case.

Research on gender identity disorders/transsexualism and homosexuality

According to separate research projects done by Minter and Pleak, it was discovered that the overwhelming majority of kids showing cross-gender behavior between ages 2 and 4 years typically mature into homosexuals or bisexuals. So what this means is that children who don't stick to the stereotypes as youngsters have a high probability of maturing into homosexuals or bisexuals, rather than transsexuals.

Crook and Baur's book, Our Sexuality states homosexuals and their parents report homosexuals were also "gender non-conformists" as children. So we at least know from these facts that kids showing cross-gender behaviors at a very young age (2-4 years) probably do not become transsexuals and instead later mature into homosexuals.

What is the age of onset of symptoms of transsexuality?

The DSM-IV reports that transsexuals typically first seek professional help in their late teens or very early 20s. They are seeking treatment such as hormone prescriptions to help them change their sexual identity and asking about sex reassignment surgery.

Minter reports that such people are labeling themselves as transsexuals. So, transsexuals' first seek counseling in their late teens and early 20s. At those times, a common reason for their counseling is that they experience a real discomfort with their gender. However, it does seem reasonable that if they first sought help in adolescence or early 20s that they probably felt distress for a period of time before they sought professional help.

Summary

Unlike homosexuality symptomatology, which has been known to emerge as early as age 2-4 years, transsexuality signs and symptoms are believed to first appear in late adolescence. For more information about gender identity disorders, see:

Sources

Crook and Baur's book, Our Sexuality, 2002.

Richard R. Pleak studies.

Shannon Price Minter studies.