# How old were you when you learned learned that homosexuality existed? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345 "2014-02-02T14:00:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345/81 "2014-02-05T23:47:43Z")
I do not exactly recall. I do have a story however from around that time. I often played with both my female and male friends at a young age. Cucking or licking or touching or just I will show you mine if you show me yours type of thing. I had sucked my best several times and one time walking home from elementary school someone called us gay. They had no way of knowing what we did they just called it out. I said “Yup, we sure are.” and put my arm around him. He jumped back and said dude you cant admit to that. I could not figure it out. I tried to assure him it was okay and that we were because of what we do sometimes. I did not understand how it was bad. I somehow did not even pick up the tone of the guys voice as being condescending. I guess that is when I learned it was “wrong” about 5th grade. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345/82 "2014-02-06T01:00:33Z")
In about 7th grade, after I sort of knew what homosexuality was, some of my friends were joking about “blow jobs” and I was totally mystified as to what that might be. I was too embarrassed about not knowing to ask. I think everything came together for me when my parents got the book “[Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex](http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Always-Wanted-Know-About/dp/0060192674)”. They kept it in the bookcase in their room but they must have known that I’d read it. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345/83 "2014-02-06T08:00:08Z")
I don’t remember. I do remember that at age 12 I knew it\*, but not when I learned about it. I’m a '68 vintage. - My classmates declared me “weird” because I didn’t like two guys which according to teen mags we were all supposed to swoon over. I remember thinking “gee, and that’s only cos the guys I like aren’t the ones I’m ‘supposed’ to like on the authority of some reporter, what would they say if I was a lesbian?” So I knew what a lesbian was, but I have no idea when I learned it. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345/84 "2014-02-06T15:09:26Z")
When I was about ten, my mom called me into the room to watch a talk show segment about a gay couple who adopted a little girl. I don’t remember being surprised they were gay, but I had questions about who’d teach the girl “girl” stuff. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345/85 "2014-02-08T04:03:20Z")
I don’t know. But older than seven for sure: I didn’t understand any of the digs made at Boy George when Culture Club was popular. ---
**Author:** ![RichieBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5e925/32.png) [@RichieBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RichieBoy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2014, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345/86 "2014-02-08T05:41:44Z")
I would guess about 8 or 9 is when I first heard about guys who were gay or back then queer. As for me by 11 I did have strong feelings about myself being gay. The word queer was just about gone. At 12 I had my first encounter with my best buddy and from there we just progressed over the years as he was my first. ---
**Author:** ![romadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@romadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romadea)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345/87 "2014-02-09T06:00:44Z")
I think 7 or 8. I saw homosexuality on a sitcom or something and asked my mom about it, and she was like, yup, that’s a thing. Around 10 I realized a lot of my mom’s friends were gay. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345/88 "2014-02-09T18:08:25Z")
Fourteen or so (1964). I’d say my reaction was “that’s interesting” followed by “so what?” Edit: I’d certainly heard the term “queer” tossed around for several years before then, but never gave much thought to what it actually meant. ---
**Author:** ![BleizDu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@BleizDu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BleizDu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345/89 "2014-02-09T20:20:59Z")
I have no idea. I was about 9 when, visiting my grandparents near Paris, I would search for the gay radio channel and listen to it hiding under the blanket at night. I don’t remember if I was already seeing myself as a gay boy back then, but I was for sure very interested in male homosexuality. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345/90 "2014-02-10T00:34:53Z")
When I was in 6th grade my teacher showed us the old timey version of The Secret Garden. She gave us a talking to beforehand, saying that in this movie they use the words “fairy” and “queer” and we were _not_ to laugh or say them to each other after. I was like 😕😕😕 A year or two later, in junior high health class, some high schoolers did a presentation about AIDS and how HIV is transmitted. They mentioned sex between two men as a transmission risk and again I was like 😕😕😕 So after the presentation they asked if we had any questions and I perfectly innocently asked how the heck two men could have sex. The high schoolers got super flustered and my teacher got in front of them and very angrily scolded me for asking such a question. I said, again perfectly innocently and naively, that I honestly did not see how sex between two men could be possible. The teacher said “Of course you know, look at your face, stop trying to embarrass everyone and make a scene.” (Keep in mind I was an honors student who never got in trouble, so I was super confused why she was reacting this way to my question.) So I guess that was my introduction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-when-you-learned-learned-that-homosexuality-existed/680345.md?page=4)