When I was growing up in the 1980s, the fear of AIDS and LGBT people in general was so great that it kept me from telling anyone about my inner experiences.
When I was four, I asked my mom about "trading pee" with other boys. She shut that down in a hurry, telling me it was gross.
When I was seven, I got sick with something that kept me from eating for a couple of days, which left me shitting nothing but clear water. As I sat in the bathroom, I distinctly remember wondering if I was finally going to turn into a girl.
When I was eight, I was styling my hair in the most feminine way possible, which freaked my dad out. One day he saw my hair and washed out all the mousse and dried it in the roughest way possible with a towel.
When I was nine, I jumped on my male classmate's back; another time I saw his fly was open, so I went up to him and zipped it up. I got in trouble when this stuff got mentioned to my parents at a PTA conference. I saw other girls do this stuff and just had no idea that I wasn't supposed to act that way.
When I was twelve, I tried castrating myself with a rubber band I took from a broccoli stalk. I got several hours into it, but took it off after I had thoughts about the reaction my mother would have. I wish I hadn't.
When I was fourteen, my mother saw me sashay, which scared her so much she flew into a rage. I still have a scar on my neck from the reaction.
When I was twenty, I snapped back at my insensitive father, who was taken aback when he made some particularly ham-fisted and overbearing remark. As his eyes grew wide, he told me that I "have the sensitivity of a woman!"
I learned to keep myself repressed in order to survive. It took me over two decades of life as an adult in an increasingly accepting society to overcome the stigma and inertia I grew up with as a child. The effects were terrible for me, and for my first wife and the relationship we had for sixteen years!
I wish the authors of this article would be open to incorporating feedback from people with experiences like mine. Without it their analysis is quite flawed and you would do well to take it with a huge grain of salt.