I found a book review in the New York Times of a 1986 book
by Dr. Richard Green, “The ‘Sissy Boy Syndrome’ and the Development of
Homosexuality”, published by the Yale University Press in February 1987, article by Jane E. Brody.
Why would I bring up such an old chestnut? This was a sacrosanct idea as far back as the
early 60s, pre-Stonewall, when the male-only military draft influenced things
(leading to Vietnam); there was an idea that men had a Spartan obligation to
prove themselves worthy physically, father children and protect women and children
for the future of the tribe; those who
failed to do so were viewed as moochers or even cowards, willing to allow the male
risk-taking to be shifted to others. Indeed, some of the demand to respect
gender fluidity from the woke left today is motivated by a desire to break up this
kind of oppressive thinking from the past. (In the 1980s, when this book was
published, the dangers of behavior in a community amplifying HIV within itself
would have been relevant.)
Before going further, we’ll note a CNN short documentary
that discredits the study.
Actually, I’m trying to figure out my own past.
Apparently as a youth I did have some sort of Developmental Coordination Disorder, or dyspraxia, which seems to have genetic causes
distantly related to autism and Asperger’s, but is often very mild and
sometimes is outgrown in puberty. Sometimes
boys with this presentation will have unique talents (like music) that seem to
come at the cost of other capacities, almost as if there were a premature brain
pruning process.
On the other hand, at NIH in 1962, I was officially
diagnosed as having “schizoid personality disorder”, probably with some
schizotypal thoughts or feelings or fantasies.
This is in Group A of the DSM personality disorders, distantly related
to schizophrenia in some families, so it may have a genetic basis, but not the
same as autism.
A schizoid understands the emotions of others, but does not
personally want to join in and share tribal or brotherly warmth with others,
and remains aloof to making emotional commitments required for a life-long
marriage that can raise children and endure unpredictable risks and challenges
to intimacy. As Asperger person supposedly doesn’t understand them. But with
dyspraxia, the behavior pattern may tend to fit closer to schizoid, so it is
very hard to figure out what genetic or epigenetic or familial neurological
processes are actually happening.
On my mother’s side of the family, several males seem to fit
the schizoid pattern. Most have done fairly
well in life because they can adapt by doing well at their own jobs, which are
often solitary (like writing software) rather than working with others (like salesmanship
or leading others in a political movement).
In fact, both schizoids and people with mild Asperger’s
often do very well in a modern technological individualistic society (they can
literally outflank others) but would not survive in a more primitive, communal
one.
I never encountered a lot of dyspraxia until I was in Basic
Combat Training in the Army, in 1968 at Fort Jackson, where it seems in retrospect
that most of the other men in Special Training Company displayed the same
syndrome. They had been drafted to prove they were not moochers. Imagine how
that would play out with the politics today. I got better at housekeeping,
cleaning and reassembling a rifle, etc. but after leaving the Army I went back
to my old habits gradually and lost the improved coordination I had learned. That alone is an interesting finding.
It seems intuitive that some of this would lead back to
homosexuality in men. But no one really talks about this. The 1980s article seems
a bit flawed. It says that only about one third of gay men were typically “masculine”
as boys. I find, in my own interactions,
that if you exclude those who want to be viewed as gender fluid (and they are
still a distinct minority within LGBTQ), probably 75% of the men were normally “masculine”
growing up, but maybe a quarter were not.
Among gay men, a substantial fraction are physically fit enough to be
able to play professional sports or compete in Olympics.
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