I'm confused as to gay demographics.

[Bluebear]

Reading DU lately, I learned that it is not important to have a gay/lesbian cabinet member, since we are statistically insignificant. One post cited that gays and lesbians are "only" 2% of the population.

On the other hand, so many of those who don't see any problem with the progress of GLBT rights are either "gay" themselves or have a brother/sister/aunt/uncle/best friend who are gay or lesbian, and those folks agree with them rather than the "nuclear" gays on DU.

It's a curious anomaly.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ThomCat]

58. I agree. There is a lot of that here unfortunately.

x(

[ruggerson]

2. funny that exit polling data

shows us we're 4-6% of the population. ANd that's just the people willing to out themselves to pollsters.

I'm sure the argument will be we vote in higher numbers.

We're all rich as well, I've heard.

[MADem]

31. I thought our gay population was closer to one in ten, ten percent or so.

However, I don't remember where I heard that, it's just a figure that sticks in my mind.

At any rate, if the gay population IS such a minescule amount, that two percent that is bandied about, you've got to ask yourself what some people are so frigging AFRAID of? A piddling two percent? I mean, really!!!

And of course, the size of the minority doesn't have any correlation with their right to equality in any event....but wow, those fundies sure seem to be working themselves up into a powerful lather on the one hand, and even more so if they're buying a "two percent" figure!!!

I've never been approached by a pollster, ever. I'm an obnoxiously reliable straight voter. I vote in local elections, state elections, and national elections. I even vote in special elections where there's no OPPONENT. You'd think these bums would ask me for my opinion once in a blue moon, since I actually show up...but no! Not once! Ever!

Hey, if you guys are all rich, are you handing out grants....???

:evilgrin:

[mitchtv]

51. toasters........

:hi:

[pnwmom]

66. The ten percent number is from the original Kinsey data,

which isn't reliable because all the participants in the sex study were self-selected.

The more recent research I've seen is less than that, but not as low as two percent.

[QC]

3. You're right--it's amazing how many of our detractors here have suddenly announced

their own gaiety. How very convenient!

[donco6]

24. I think that's just the Elizbethan "we".

"We" work for equal rights . . . "we" need this or that. Accompanied by the beauty queen wave.

[QC]

26. Ah yes, the royal we.

We are not amused.

[donco6]

30. 'zackly.

:)

[LoveIsNow]

4. Where'd they get that figure?

Kinsey got 13%, I think, for men.

[Bluebear]

5. Right wing churches frequently quote 2%

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. When they are squawking about "special rights." However...

The 10% figure inevitably gets trotted out any time they want to make a point about how we gay people are "taking over the government" and "attempting to destroy all that is holy and pure."

[LostinVA]

8. Even Kinsey admitted his methodology was flawed

HOWEVER -- the number he considered accurate is between 2% and 13%.

[TechBear_Seattle]

14. There were two studies, one deeply flawed and one that was scientifically accurate

Kinsey's methodology was very bad: his survey population consisted of inmates from prisons and mental institutions, at a time when homosexual acts (between males, at least) often resulted in incarcertation and/or committal. Such a population also appears to have included pedophiles and other such people at a significantly higher proportion than the general population. He asked these men a battery of questions that focused mainly on sexual acts during the previous 365 days; that is to say, during a period when most of these men had been in custody and their only sexual activity would have been with other male inmates. Based on these answers, he divided his population into one of seven categories identified by number, from "exclusively heterosexual" (category 0) to "exclusively homosexual" (category 6.) The 10% figure comes from the relative number of men who were placed in categories 5 ("mostly homosexual) and 6.

There was another study in 1992 (I don't recall the group that produced the report, sorry) which, unlike Kinsey, followed all of the protocols and methodology of a scientific survey. This study was a comprehensive survey of American sexual activities, mores and attitudes. The sample population was constructed to best represent American society at large. One of the questions was about the relative amount of same-sex activity and different-sex activity over the entire span of life. The 2% figure comes from the compiled answer to that question.

[LostinVA]

37. The latter study is also considered very flawed

I read a really good article on it -- I'll try to find it and post it here.

Basically, the sample size was very small AND it wasn't "blind": people were interviewed via face-t-face meetings rather than filling out questionaires, and they had to give all their personal info. That's the 2% one, which most professionals agree is at least several points too low.

[TechBear_Seattle]

40. But at least it made an effort to be accurate, unlike Kinsey

And yes, the number is almost certainly somewhere in between. I have issues also with the fact that the questions focused only on acts and not feelings; such questions misclassify a lot of men who might have exclusively male attractions but who for whatever reasons are married, have kids and otherwise present a thoroughly heterosexual front.

[yardwork]

52. I think that the actual percent is much higher than 2%, especially if you include all "straights"

who were bullied and repressed into believing that they are straight. I was one of those. I suspect that there are a lot more women like me who didn't even realize that they were queer until they overcame other issues in their lives that were masking their true emotions and desires.

I think that the homophobes know this too and that's one reason they're so scared. If there were actual equal rights for gay people, there would be a LOT more gay people. And a lot fewer people forced into the nuclear suburban heterosexual patriarchal paradigm that is a reliable machine for profit to the corporatists.

[AntiFascist]

80. 1992 was after the worst part of the AIDS epidemic in the US....

which killed a hell of a lot of gay men. I wonder if that affected the results of the second study.

[LostinVA]

6. I am wriitng a paper for a sociology class on the everchanging sexual orientations

on the internets. VERY fluid amongst message boarders. I may try to get it published.

[Sub Atomic]

29. IMHO, being a social hermit and internet dweeb

sexuality is much less of an issue for those that are 25 and under.


they grew up with kids that benefited from the fight to end discrimination in schools. that is actually one victory that the gay community has seen come to fruition. kids today could care less if you were gay/straight/purple/whatever.


the internet allows presumed anonymity. and with that comes the bigotry and hate.

maybe as the younger generation becomes more vocal in the future of this country, we'll actually see social and legal equality.

and that's pretty sad.

[yardwork]

53. This is exactly what the homophobes fear.

[xchrom]

7. soft bigotry trying to 'explain' itself. nt

[Fearless]

9. Funny how everyone here who is "enlightened" also came up with different numbers for %

Just saying. :+


Excuse me while I head indoors, there's a smug front approaching... :eyes:

[Bluebear]

22. You're always a breath of fresh air

[Fearless]

25. See now I can't tell if that...

Deserves a (:sarcasm:) or not. I'll hedge my bets and reply... Thank you. :+

[Pacifist Patriot]

84. I am enlightened and I know exactly what percentage of the population is homosexual.

Somewhere between .01% and 99.9%. At least I am pretty sure.

Then again, percentages don't matter to me. If there was a single homosexual person on the planet he or she would be entitled to equal rights and inherent respect. So 1/6,000,000,000 is a substantial figure when it comes to humanity. Darn liberal arts majors, eh?

[ruggerson]

10. Many of them are also suddenly bisexual

During the McClurkin fiasco, the bisexual quotient at DU shot sky high.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sui generis]

71. if it feels good do it!

all theses gat damn labels as IF.

I ate a turnip once. It didn't make me a turnip.

[Chovexani]

76. You noticed that too huh?

I was like hell, where were all these so called bis before, suddenly we make up most of DU.

[jonnyblitz]

12. another new way these patronizing assholes are trying to shut

us up is to imply that if we aren't out there picketing and organizing protests every fucking day we have no right to complain on a discussion board about our issues. how in (((hell)) do they know what any of us do when we aren't posting on DU and who in FUCK do they think they are that we have to report to them in order to justify what we chose to post about here? this is a discussion board, where we "DISCUSS" for chrissake, just like they do. I live in the boonies of CT and it's not like i can run to NYC or Boston every fucking day in the dead of winter to protest for gay rights just so I can be deemed worthy to post about my issues on DU .

[QC]

13. I find your anger strangely exciting...

You're not about to go nuclear, are you?

[jonnyblitz]

19. am I allowed to? after all, I haven't attended a protest since the

Mormon temple thing in NYC after prop 8 was passed. :P

[QC]

20. I dunno. You better ask permission.

Fortunately, we have plenty of people here willing to help you to be a better homo.

[BR_Parkway]

36. LOL - thank you - after all that's been posted on DU since we dared

open out keyboards to complain about Warren, Prop 8 and some people's reaction on DU - this is the first post in a long time that caused me to laugh.

[Fearless]

15. Sometimes we forget that freedom goes both ways.

If you're free to post, then I am, then whoever they are can too. It's called DISCUSSING. No one learns or grows by taking a nap at the computer screen.

[ruggerson]

18. sorry I missed what you were talking about

having just returned from a protest in Maine that I jetted off to after writing post #10.

[jonnyblitz]

21. .....

:o

[LostinVA]

38. hahahaha

[Name removed]

32. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sniffa]

48. We can't even get you here with notice

:P

:hug:

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jamastiene]

17. Apparently, some people here think that every gay person in the world is a member

of DU. Either that, or they are purposely saying we don't exist right to our faces right after telling us to STFU. I'm not sure which it is really. I think it is both, simultaneously.

[donco6]

23. Gays must make really good "best friends."

Is it genetic? EVERYONE has a gay best friend. It's astonishing.

[Fearless]

27. Hey! I think we make DAMN good best friends.

:rofl:

Of course, I may be biased.

[QC]

28. Lots of lesbian sisters in these parts, too. n/t

[MADem]

33. I don't have a gay best friend.

I do have a few gay relatives, and a few "not best" friends--aquaintances, really, former neighbors, a couple of people I used to work with, that kind of thing.

Does this mean I can't join in the discussion?

:evilgrin:

[donco6]

34. You get to join because of that cute kitty avatar.

That is hilarious!

[MADem]

35. Heh heh!!!

My little buddy got me in the club!!

[Pacifist Patriot]

83. Poop! I must be the exception.

I would dearly love a gay best friend but I don't have one. That is totally unfair. I think every straight woman should have:

a lover (not talking adultery here, committed partners/husbands count)
a gay best friend
a little black dress
a red bra
the collected works of Jane Austen

What am I doing wrong?

On a serious note, I had a very close gay male friend in high school who is no longer with us today because of AIDS. I miss his friendship terribly. I really do believe there is a special dynamic to a straight female - gay male friendship that I wish I had today. Maybe I am romanticizing my past relationship with Riley, but there you have it.

[jody]

39. CNN Full National President Exit Polls, "Are You Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual?" "Yes (4%)"

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#val=USP00p3

[bluedawg12]

41. If it's one thing we have learned, CNN exit polls are flawless!

:sarcasm:

[Bluebear]

60. Which covers voters, a subset of the population

[jody]

61. Absolutely and that poses an interesting question, are members of the GLBT community more or less

likely to vote in the last presidential election than non-GLBT voters?

If the answer is more likely to vote, then the 4% figure could overstate actual population numbers.

[Bluebear]

64. I don't consider it an accurate figure because...

people would have to self-identify as gay. Many people would be uncomfortable answering a pollster regarding their orientation. Sad but true.

[jody]

65. If you are correct, then all polls re GLBT are useless. n/t

[QC]

42. Have you noticed how many people here threw the first stiletto heel at Stonewall,

as soon as claiming gay cred gives them grounds to demand that the rest of us STFU?

[bluedawg12]

45. If owning two male cats establishes gay cred, that explains all the "experts"

out there telling us our priorities and how to achieve them. :rofl:

[QC]

46. It really is funny, isn't it? All these people who never displayed the slightest interest

in gay issues around here, but when they need a more creative way to tell us to STFU and stop criticizing their idol, they suddenly become Harry Hay.

[bluedawg12]

68. It's hilarious, really. All the concern about what should concern us.

As if there was some understanding why gay families, marriage equality and prejudice and bigotry on the job, were actually from the same well spring. There usually isn't such understanding, just bad advice. :eyes:

[yardwork]

54. I had no idea that there were so many newborn babies protesting at Stonewall.

Not to mention zygotes.

[LostinVA]

56. uh oh

BACKSLIDER!!!!!

[yardwork]

57. I had a little slip, but have managed to confine it to this forum.

I'm going back on the wagon soon.

[LostinVA]

59. Poser

[yardwork]

63. I'm just an emotional queer. You know, I go all nuclear and stuff.

[bluedawg12]

69. I'm off to do battle with evil! Don't go emo now.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[LostinVA]

70. I DO kinda like "Panic at the Disco"

My nephew insists they're Emo.

[Prophet 451]

43. Can someone explain the 2% thing?

Because last I remember, the 2% figure was one of those attempts to minimise gay people that we rip on Focus On The Family for. Pretty much every reliable survey I've ever seen places gay people at somewhere between eight and twelve percent of the populace.

[Pacifist Patriot]

85. I've always heard "about 10%" and never thought to question it.

This 2% thing is new for me.

I found this interesting.

http://gaylife.about.com/od/comingout/a/population.htm

Sounds to me like no one knows and no one is particularly clear on how to determine it accurately. My personal opinion is because we tend to assign things to boxes and sexuality isn't necessarily a this or that proposition. I think it is a range rather than a box. Where do the bi- count? What about those who consider themselves asexual and do not profess to have a sexual attraction towards either gender? What column do you put a male transgendering to female who is attracted to females or a male transgendering to female who is attracted to males?

Seems to me like too much effort is put into figuring out numbers when all that matter is existence. GLBT is simply a part of what it means to be human so accept it as such and embrace it as normative.

[bluedawg12]

44. Here is some data:

The US census bureau looked only at same sex couples. Here is some data from them (2000).

The second link attempts to identify individuals who are self identified as gay.

http://www.gaydemographics.org/USA/USA.htm
2000 Census information on Gay and Lesbian Couples

..........

http://www.rockhawk.com/how_many_gay_people_are_there_in_america.htm

Last Updated January 10th 2009
How many gay people are there in America?

More recently, data has been collected in America, during the ten-year national census, on married and unmarried-partner households. They did not ask the actual sexual orientation of the respondents, so there is no measure of single gay people, nor is their a measure of those gay people in committed relationships but not living together. Whilst the census cannot give us a figure for the number of people who are gay in America, it can inform us on how many same-sex partnership households identified themselves in the survey. The 2000 census tells us that

There are 105.5 million households in the USA.
5.5 million of these consist of unmarried partnerships,
Of these, 595,000 consist of same sex partners.

This can be interpreted as there being nearly 1.2 million gay people living with a same sex partner in America. This is a huge increase from the 1990 census, which identified only 145,000 same sex unmarried households.

As with the NATSAL survey in the UK, there is undoubtedly a large amount of under reporting in these sorts of surveys. Possible explanations of this include continued prejudice and discrimination against gay people.3

There have been various other surveys in the US that have tried to measure numbers of gay people. An analysis of these surveys by the Human Rights Campaign came up with this conclusion.

'In the last three elections, the Voter News Service exit poll registered the gay vote between 4 percent and 5 percent.


While concluding that the Census 2000 undercounted the total number of gay or lesbian households, for the purposes of this study, we estimate the gay and lesbian population at 5 percent of the total U.S. population over 18 years of age, (209,128,094).

This results in an estimated total gay and lesbian population of 10,456,405.

A recent study of gay and lesbian voting habits conducted by Harris Interactive determined that 30 percent of gay and lesbian people are living in a committed relationship in the same residence. Using that figure, we suggest that 3,136,921 gay or lesbian people are living in the United States in committed relationships in the same residence. '4

So, if we accept that the data presented by the Human Rights Commission is indeed indicative of the real numbers, then it shows that the census data is only showing up a small percentage of the actual number of gay people living in America. Until, however, a nationwide survey is done, asking questions on sexual attitudes and behaviors, then we can only use data and analyses, such as the ones above, to work out an answer to the question of gay people living in America.

.........

[bluedawg12]

81. This results in an estimated total gay and lesbian population of 10,456,405

At the very least we should have pet food companies fighting for our rights, as allies! :rofl:

[bluedawg12]

82. Speaking of puppies- PuppyCam in da house!

Congrats to Gaspee!

http://kataishibas.camstreams.com/

[Amimnoch]

47. we transcend all sexes, races, and cultures.

I don't think there could ever actually be a really accurate poll done on us.

we are too diverse for it imo.

Sure, there are those of us that are 100% out, and those of us that can walk into a room and even stevie wonder could tell they are gay. Those of our numbers would be easy to count.

But, what about the ones that are only out to immediate family/friends/co-workers.. or just one or 2 of those categories?
the "straight" ones who cruise parks, and bathrooms?
What about bisexuals? or the heterosexual transgendered, or transsexuals?
or the ones who just "experimented a bit in college"?

Because we transcend all races, genders, cultures, and have so many levels to our sexuality... could an accurate demographic ever really be ascertained?

BTW.. something that's been eating at me lately.. Maybe it's just that I live in redneck hell texas, but it seems like there is an awfully lot of hate within our own community as of late (maybe it was always there, and i never noticed it before?) I'm not talking here at DU, but what I've been noticing on other gay sites online, and in clubs. It seems like there's a lot of racism, sexism, and hate in our own community. For the life of me, I will never understand GLBT's that use racial slurs, sexist remarks, or gays who "hate women, or hate lesbians", lesbians who "hate gay men", or gays who hate on "drag queens" etc...

[yardwork]

50. Those are the good gays, Bluebear.

[mitchtv]

55. I go way back, bluebear

The figure I learned, Before paper, was 6% and that was optimistic. If anything, the infection has spread like avinian flu, so I'd up it to 8%

[dipsydoodle]

62. Usual figure that gets bandied about in the UK

is one in ten which is obviously 10%. Maybe the figure gets suppressed across the whole population if children are included in the total population figure ?

[galledgoblin]

67. I subscribe to the "spectrum" theory

10% completely straight, 10% completely gay, 80% various bisexual preferences.
until people are less bigoted and/or answer completely truthfully, no study will give accurate numbers.

[MADem]

75. I have a woman friend who describes herself as

"A gay man trapped in a woman's body."

The looks she gets are priceless!!

[sui generis]

72. there are no gays in Iran or Pakistan

:sarcasm:

wonder if there could be a correlation, or maybe just a cause.

[robish518]

73. 1 in 18

I've heard a number of statistics on gay demographics. I've heard that 1 out of every 18 people you meet is gay, which is about 5 - 6%. That means that every classroom from under to overcrowded would have 1 or 2 gay kids in it. Every classroom in this country has 2 gay kids in there learning about civil rights of women, blacks, hispanics, workers, etc. I never learned about gay rights until I came out of the closet when I was 25. I wish I could've heard this stuff when I was in high school.

Every classroom in this country has 1 or 2 gay kids that are beginning to feel disillusioned about their country because the ridicule our society has on gays and because of the walls that are put up around the community. I know I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but gay history and gay civil rights should be taught along with everything and everyone else's.

[SacredCow]

74. Getting an accurate number on this is virtually impossible....

for lots of reasons- many of which have already been addressed. From what I've seen, though- I think 2% is an underestimate.

[saracat]

77. But ya know Bluebear, women statistically make up "more" than 50%

of the population and no one give a Sh*t about them either. Demographics are just a game. If the number of gays is SOOO low, why are their so many of them? Sheesh, there are more than 10% of the in Hollywood , SF and NY alone! Gimme a break. And that is just going for stereotypes. That doesn't even include your average gay person in ,say Oklahoma, who is too afraid to say anything!

[sniffa]

78. "no one give a Sh*t about them"

[saracat]

79. Well they don't. And GBTL women are doubly dissed.

Both are marginalized and their issues are treated as "fringe".Other "important" stuff always takes precedence. And folks like Warren are "honored" and given precedence over both groups!