Customer Reviews

Sissies and Tomboys: Gender Nonconformity and Homosexual Childhood

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a young sissy boy growing up gay but role-playing heterosexuality, I applaud these writers in this book confirming what I always believed as a young boy and still believe--that being a sissy or tomboy does not make you gay or lesbian. Play is play for children. Gender is truly mixed as these authors point out. Understanding the damage done to all children demanding that they be only one type of male or one type of female is nothing more than GENDER ABUSE!

Matthew Rottnek was one of the first authors to question the diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder. Although published in 1999 the book was so far ahead of it's time that it remains relevant today. I am currently using the book as a text in my undergraduate course in Childhood Development. I have also used material from the book in my class Cross-Cultural Theory and Practice when discussing the social construction of gender role expectations. Chapter two authored by Richard Pleak entitled "Ethical Issues in Diagnosing and Treating Gender-Dysphoric Children and Adolescents" points out many of the concerns that have resulted in GID to be considered an archaic diagnosis by many mental health professionals, prompting changes in the upcoming DSM-V.