To be honest, I have never really thought too much about my own gender identity.  I am from a very small town, and was raised in a family with conservative family values, therefore I have always accepted the fact that my gender identity is normal.  This is not to say that I have been sheltered my whole life and have never saw or experienced people who think and identify differently than I do.  I have always tried to inform myself about other people's views and accept everyone for who they are.  I have just always saw myself as being rather "normal", especially when it comes to gender identity.  My father has probably had the most influence on my own gender identity.  I am the youngest of four brothers, and my father has always been a blue-collar, working class guy.  He has instilled in all of us the value of hard work, and doing things the right way, as well as a love for the outdoors and athletics.  From the time I was four years old, I was playing organized sports, usually coached by my father, and from the time I could walk, I have been on a creek bank fishing, or in a hunting blind in the woods.  To me, this has been all that I have ever known, and to me, "normal".  I never even realized that these aspects of my life, identified my gender role.  Obviously, these aspects and activities of influence have always matched my gender identity, as I have never felt an inkling of want or need to go against them.  The identity that was placed on me has always been the one that just happened to perfectly match my personality and therefore I have never even realized the influence this had on my gender identity. However, I definitely realize the negative impact that having gender forced on someone could have.  For people that take on the gender identity of the opposite sex, I respect their life and who they are. While my identity of gender was formed by what activities I was placed in by my parents, they have always taught  me to respect others and accept people for whomever they are. I have never had a problem with someone for just being who they are. I do feel that boys who take on the gender identity of females suffer more than girls do when the situation is reversed. I feel like that girls are more accepted by society, because girls are stereotyped as emotional, whereas boys are "supposed" to take on a hard, rough identity, and reinforce the stereotype of masculinity.