Understanding the

Development of Sexual IdentityEDP 370: Applied Child Development

I want to know what it’s like…• Estimate rates of suicidal ideation between 50-

70% for gay youth.• Rate of suicide attempts are six times higher for

gay youth.• Factors that affect suicidal ideation / attempts:

– Higher rates of school victimization• 81% of youth report being harassed• 6 out of 10 gay youth feel unsafe at school• In general, harassment at school leads to higher

dropout rates

– Higher rates of family rejection (33%)– Higher rates of alcohol and drug use (52%)– Higher rates of homelessness

• Estimate 20-40% of the homeless youth are gay

Project Safe, NCSU

• Sex, gender and sexuality develop interdependently.• Children develop a sense of gender constancy in

early childhood (4-5yrs old).• The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes

that sexual orientation is also established during early childhood.

• Acquire norms about gender and sexuality during middle childhood

• Sexual orientation is probably not determined by any one factor but a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. In recent decades, experts have favored biologically-based theories.• There is NO valid evidence that your sexual

orientation can be changed.• Gay male adolescents report becoming aware of a

distinct feeling of “being different” as early as 5-7 years old. They did not connect these feelings to their sexuality.

• There are reports of same-sex families living in 99% of the counties in the United States.

• Your Subtopics Go Here

Research Studies

Age of First Awareness

(Orientation)

Age of First Same-Sex Activity

Behavior)

Age of Identification / Self-Labeling

(Identity)

Herdt & Boxler (1993) 9.6 yrs 13.1 yrs 16.0 yrs

D’Augelli & Herschberger (1993)

9.8 yrs 14.9 yrs 14.8 yrs

Rosario et al. (1996) 10.9 yrs 13.3 yrs 14.7 yrs

Savin-Williams (1997) 8.0 yrs 14.1 yrs 16.9 yrs

D’Augelli (1998) 10.1 yrs 15.0 yrs 15.3 yrs

Maguen et al., (2002) 11.0 yrs 16.0 yrs 17.0 yrs

Project Safe, NCSU

Cass Identity Development ProcessesVivienne Cass (1979, 1984, 1990)

•Identity Confusion: Who am I?•Identity Comparison: I don’t want to be different?•Identity Tolerance: I’m probably gay.•Identity Acceptance: I’m gay.•Identity Pride: Them vs. Us Attitude.•Identity Synthesis: Individual personal and public sexual identities become integrated into one’s holistic identity.

• Teachers may be on the frontlines of ‘debunking’ myths about sexual identity.• Children are ‘working out’ what it means to a

boy and a girl alongside with what it means to be friends with and “like” boys and girls in elementary school.

• 7-10% of the children in your school may become ‘aware’ that they are different as early as K-2.

• In 4-5th grade children are becoming aware of their sexual orientation.

• Teachers are on the frontlines of protecting gay youth from harassment in school. • Opening opportunities for conversation• Responding to bullying (cyberbullying)• Eliminating hate speak

What does this mean for teachers?