Ben Hobson
FYS 182
Dennis Johnson
30 September 2014
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Socialization is a term that refers to a list of norms, or customs that are socially accepted. Socialization can be a positive thing, like a guideline on how to get through life, but it doesn’t have to be a steadfast law by which we absolutely live our lives.
Society’s “norms” are not always the most accurate, or right things to live by, for us as individuals. Gender socialization is a guideline, which looks at the characteristics each gender should take on and what is considered normal for males vs. females. However, just because someone does not follow each characteristic word for word should not mean that they are looked down upon or considered inferior. There are two origins of socialization, which are also called agents of socialization. Primary agents are family and friends. Secondary agents are school, media, religion and formal organizations.
These agents can be a big influence on how a person matures and how they are programmed to think. If someone thinks that they will not be accepted by an agent of socialization, then they might be hesitant or nervous about speaking their mind or becoming involved.
Not all people are the same, and as much as we would love to have a cookie cutter world sometimes, that will never happen because everyone is different. If we tried to make all kids follow a guideline of what they were supposed to do then they would not be happy. Some boys might like to play with dolls or pretend like they were a nurse and their stuffed animals were their patients. On the other hand, some girls might like to play army or skateboard in the street. If we told them that they could not do what they liked to do then we would be stifling their growth and development. Childhood is a very important time for kids to figure out who they are, they pick up characteristics from their
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environment, and they discover what they like. Just because you are born a certain sex does not mean that that is truly who you are. There are plenty of people born female that wish they were male and vise versa. It is not something that you get to choose, which is the worst part. These people are stuck as something they do not want to be.
Most of them are scared and do not know how to come out and tell people. They just do not think people will understand, or they do not believe that their family will still love them, which is a horrible thing to have to feel. Everyone should be accepted and loved for who they are, whether they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. There should not be customs or standards of sexuality. If a male loves another male he should be accepted for who he is. The love they share for each other is no different than that a male and female share. And the same goes for any other sexual preference.
It is sad how many struggles these people endure just to be themselves. Some people feel that if they come out about how they feel, or verbalize their sexual preference, then they might be treated different by the primary agents in their life, such as family and friends. It would be tragic to not feel the full support of your family if you were to tell them that you want to become the opposite sex or that you are homosexual.
I have been lucky enough to be confident in who I am. Granted, people are more accepting of me, a straight male since birth. I have known I was straight for as long as I can remember. The first sign of it was when I was about four years old, after stealing a
Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition magazine from my dad. I took it out to my tree house and looked through it a few times, enjoying the beautiful women. I have had a pretty easy life when it comes to being accepted for which I am thankful. I played football,
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basketball, and baseball in high school, along with being in a National
