Referring to children's friends as girlfriends and boyfriends sexualizes them.是什么意思？

Referring to children's friends as girlfriends and boyfriends sexualizes them.

将孩子们的朋友称为女朋友或男朋友就把他们的性别差异凸显出来了。

referring

v. 提到( refer的现在分词 )，针对，关系到，请教；

例句
I imagine you're referring to Jean-Paul Sartre...
我猜你说的是让－保罗·萨特。

to

prep. 向，朝着，到，关于，属于；adv. 朝一个方向的，到某种状态，关闭；

例句
I suggest you leave it to an expert...
我建议你把它留给专家来解决。

friends

n. 朋友( friend的名词复数 )，资助者，同胞，指做傻事或烦人的事而说话者不认识的人；

例句
Old enemies can become new friends even if all their national interests are not in complete accord.
即使国家利益不尽相同，他们也可以化敌为友。

as

adv. 同样地，一样地，例如；prep. 作为，以…的身份，如

例句
As far as I can recall, Patti was a Smith.
我记得帕蒂是姓史密斯的。

girlfriends

n. 女朋友( girlfriend的名词复数 )，女情人，女伴；

例句
Jay had always tended to keep his girlfriends at a distance.
杰伊一贯和他的女朋友们保持距离。

and

conj. 和，与，而且，于是，然后，因此；

例句
I spend a lot on expensive jewelry and clothing...
我花很多钱购买昂贵的首饰和衣服。

boyfriends

n. 男朋友( boyfriend的名词复数 )，（女子的）情人，情夫；

例句
Your problem with keeping boyfriends is just a symptom of a larger problem: making and keeping friends...
你在维系同男友的关系时遭遇的困难暴露了一个更大的问题：如何结交朋友和维持友谊。

them

pron. 他们，她们，它们；

例句
I take care of them to the best of my abilities...
我尽我所能地照顾他们。