Sexuality and Gender

In the article, John Gagnon, says, "people become sexual in the same way they become everything else. Without much reflection, they pick up directions from their social environment. They acquire and assemble meanings, skills and values from the people around them." It seems that almost everything that contributes to an individuals make up is socially constructed such as race, gender etc. I feel that our families and society definitely help us assemble our gender roles and sexuality through gender cues and the use of images in the media, however I think that we all have an innate sense of our individual sexuality, gender and sexual preferences. Gender norms within society, offer us a guideline to follow but we ultimately will conform to our natural preferences and desires. However all of this said, I do think that society's influence can be great despite our own natural feelings and can vary depending on the culture.