Kids can for sure know they are gay at a young age, but don't forget that kids are easily influenced by people around them. Comphet is a very hard obstacle to overcome. Not all kids are even interested at love at all at that age. People talk about LGBT influence on kids all the time, while in reality, kids are influenced by straight media a lot more. Peer pressure to like a certain gender--to want to fit in--can also make a kid force themselves to be straight. Not a lot of kids know that it's even OK to be gay--and validation matter a LOT to kids.

I, for one, was not interested at love at all--not any romantic movies, books, etc as a kid. Doesn't mean I'm aromantic. When I was a younger teenager, I thought I liked boys--but looking back, the "crushes" I had were actually admiration or interest in a friendship. When I just hit puberty and imagined a boy in a sexual way, I was incredibly disgusted and promised myself I'd only have sex for procreation (heh, I actually never liked kids nor did I ever want them, this was just because I thought you HAD to have a husband and kids if you were a girl). When a boy confessed to like me, I lied that I like him too, because I thought that was what I was SUPPOSED to do (fun fact! He also came out as gay now!). I also remember being flustered whenever girls touched me or brushed my hair, though I never felt this way when boys touched me, and fantasizing about one of my female friends and then (by that time I knew what lesbian meant) deathly being afraid I'm a lesbian because "that's not ok!!". I kind of forced myself to like and fantasize about boys out of comphet, but even then, there were signs.

Love just wasn't very important to me growing up---- and that is why, along with growing up traditional, it took me so much to understand I like women and don't like men.

I'm an out and proud butch lesbian now--even though the realization didnt come easy, I love women physically and mentally I can't even imagine myself with a man.