In a large enough survey with enough respondents, you don't have to ask every adult to get an accurate answer. The more significant factors, by far, are elimination of selection bias (who takes the survey) and response accuracy (which depends mostly on the respondents' trust that there are no negative (or positive) consequences for giving accurate responses).
It is interesting that the more freedom that a person has to say, the more diverse we all become. Its a simple thing, but like positivity and self worth, it can easily be hidden away when dogmatism drowns out our better senses.
It’s no surprise that coming out correlates tightly with not being persecuted, vilified and assaulted for coming out. No doubt the bigots will interpret this obvious result instead as evidence of “social contagion”.
Very interesting and surprising in some states - it just goes to show that the LGBTQ+ community is everywhere and should not be overlooked by politicians
We can't fix anything until we take control of the house and senate. If we fail to do that I think trans people are on their way to a gulag near you. Hold your nose and vote.
Asking trans people to vote for people who will throw us under the bus is some vile shit.
This isn’t a sports team where you root for the color and the players don’t matter. Voting for anti-trans and anti-queer Democrats are WORSE than not voting as they will threaten having all parties abandon us. Why don’t YOU work to have candidates not abandon us?
1/3 if 18-24 year olds identify as LGBTQIA+. Abandoning any of us is a suicide mission for ANY Democrat.
Although they don't line up perfectly, many of the overlaps are undeniable. It seems to be confirmation that higher LGBTQ legal risk comes with higher rates of straight identification.
Unfortunately, our political foes can see from the same data that oppression of LGBTQ people is an effective tool for enforcing cisheteronormativity.
Everywhere I look I see little clues to make me suspect that no matter what the statistics say, the overwhelming majority of people are actually bi or pan, and that exclusive heterosexuality is only about as common as exclusive homosexuality or asexuality. Can't prove it, of course. Just a little idle speculation. But it'd sure explain a lot...
It wouldn't surprise me. My personal gut feeling is that it is the majority, but not the "overwhelming" majority. My gut also tells me there are a whole lot more asexual people (mostly women) than we currently believe. We'll never know, as you say.
ironically, the Trump administration and most of MAGA would like the US to be more ike Iran, which several years ago announced that there were no gay people in the country.
I take that proportion (1/3 among young people) very seriously. This is hardly a groundbreaking revelation. Kinsey established many decades ago that a large percentage of the population isn't straight. He found that OVER a third of men had had at least one homosexual experience in their lifetimes resulting in orgasm. That's not to say they would casually tell you they're bisexual or that they would necessarily consider themselves anything but heterosexual. There are a lot of self-described "straight" men who have sex with other men, either occasionally or regularly. How they respond on a survey depends on who is asking and how the questions are worded.
I don't think we're ever going to get accurate statistics on any queer identity until we're rid of the forces that keep us closeted... but I too strongly suspect that even this new 1/3 figure is a gross underestimate.
"I don't think we're ever going to get accurate statistics on any queer identity until we're rid of the forces that keep us closeted" <-- I can believe that, but I still think that is an overestimate.
"He found that OVER a third of men had had at least one homosexual experience in their lifetimes resulting in orgasm" <-- The same way that having an orgasm doesn't mean an event (which in that case is rape) was consensual, having an orgasm doesn't meant a gay sexual act was in fact appreciated as such by the person having it.
A man who thinks of themselves as straight, who does so once but is thinking to themselves that they don't need ever to do that again, are they homosexual? Bi?
Talia, to be clear, I was not talking about non-consensual sex (or rape). I do not quite understand your first comment and suggest you may want to edit it for clarity, lest someone read something into it that you didn't intend.
As to your question: Yes, having one consensual homosexual experience that results in (one's own) orgasm does indicate at least some sexually appetitive potential towards the same sex. Whether someone who is bisexual will ever have another same-sex sexual encounter or personally identify as bisexual is a matter of personal choice.
So, perhaps there are two ways of defining sexual orientation. One is a matter of who one is attracted to. The other is a matter of who one voluntarily has sex with. However, as a confirmed Kinsey 6, I can assure you there is no potential I would ever orgasm with a man. None at all. For most of us (perhaps 2/3, as I recall), there is no choice about it at all. The misalignment of sexual attraction and behavior is driven by the pressures of society to conform to cisheteronormativity.
es, having one consensual homosexual experience that results in (one's own) orgasm does indicate at least some sexually appetitive potential towards the same sex." <-- No, it does not, not any more than having an orgasm during a rape means it is not rape. There is a physical level where orgasm is simply a reptilian reflex meaning nothing but that autonomic criteria for having it are satisfied. To put it another way, having an orgasm doesn't mean you were into it.
Well, you seem to be really hung up on rape here. To be clear, yet again, Kinsey was not referring to rape, nor am I. He was (and I am) referring to CONSENSUAL sex (i.e. both parties being willing participants - under no pressure, force, or coercion), culminating in orgasm. I don't know how to be any clearer than that. That was his operational definition. You may approve or disapprove of it, but that was the criterion he set, underlying his population figures.
"Well, you seem to be really hung up on rape here." <-- No, I am pointing out a fact which contradicts your contention that having an orgasm means someone is liking what they are doing . . . and therefore wants to do it again whether they do it or don't.
We're still friends although you are making a weird attempted 'ad hominem/strawman/poisoning' the well augment.
We are ubiquitous. Just like the sun, the moon, the stars and the wind. We are here. We have been here. And we will continue to be.
I wonder what the statistic is if you actually ask every adult
In a large enough survey with enough respondents, you don't have to ask every adult to get an accurate answer. The more significant factors, by far, are elimination of selection bias (who takes the survey) and response accuracy (which depends mostly on the respondents' trust that there are no negative (or positive) consequences for giving accurate responses).
That and maybe not lump everyone together.
Bi people seem to kind of skew the numbers.
The age distribution has several factors too.
There's a purpose for grouping people together, but you're right about age distribution having many factors. Death is a big one.
It is interesting that the more freedom that a person has to say, the more diverse we all become. Its a simple thing, but like positivity and self worth, it can easily be hidden away when dogmatism drowns out our better senses.
It’s no surprise that coming out correlates tightly with not being persecuted, vilified and assaulted for coming out. No doubt the bigots will interpret this obvious result instead as evidence of “social contagion”.
The real social contagion- a virulent and lethal one, at that- was the prejudice all along.
THIS
That's encouraging. But those who can need to vote because they haven't been
We’re number one! (Go Oregon!)
Very interesting and surprising in some states - it just goes to show that the LGBTQ+ community is everywhere and should not be overlooked by politicians
We all need to vote! Blue… no matter who!🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢
STOP with this garbage. Electing anti-trans and anti-queer Democrats is among the worst things we can do.
We can't fix anything until we take control of the house and senate. If we fail to do that I think trans people are on their way to a gulag near you. Hold your nose and vote.
Asking trans people to vote for people who will throw us under the bus is some vile shit.
This isn’t a sports team where you root for the color and the players don’t matter. Voting for anti-trans and anti-queer Democrats are WORSE than not voting as they will threaten having all parties abandon us. Why don’t YOU work to have candidates not abandon us?
1/3 if 18-24 year olds identify as LGBTQIA+. Abandoning any of us is a suicide mission for ANY Democrat.
Oh, ok. Sorry.
No matter who? I'm all for voting blue if the candidates support trans rights.
If they don't, like Amy Achtung in Ohio, hell no. Better for them to lose than for it to become acceptable for Dems to throw us under the bus.
This is a terrific article, Erin!
It's time for them all to come out and vote.....100%
Erin, it's fascinating to compare HRC's heat map of % LGBTQ people with your map of anti-trans legal risk assessment. HRC's map is here:
https://communityinsights.hrc.org/research/lgbtq-population-estimates
Although they don't line up perfectly, many of the overlaps are undeniable. It seems to be confirmation that higher LGBTQ legal risk comes with higher rates of straight identification.
Unfortunately, our political foes can see from the same data that oppression of LGBTQ people is an effective tool for enforcing cisheteronormativity.
Everywhere I look I see little clues to make me suspect that no matter what the statistics say, the overwhelming majority of people are actually bi or pan, and that exclusive heterosexuality is only about as common as exclusive homosexuality or asexuality. Can't prove it, of course. Just a little idle speculation. But it'd sure explain a lot...
It wouldn't surprise me. My personal gut feeling is that it is the majority, but not the "overwhelming" majority. My gut also tells me there are a whole lot more asexual people (mostly women) than we currently believe. We'll never know, as you say.
Thanks for this report, Erin.
ironically, the Trump administration and most of MAGA would like the US to be more ike Iran, which several years ago announced that there were no gay people in the country.
Not ironic at all. Same freaks, different brand.
I don't take that proportion (1/3rd) seriously, I simply don't see it in the real world.
Thank you for the reporting, Mrs. Reed.
I take that proportion (1/3 among young people) very seriously. This is hardly a groundbreaking revelation. Kinsey established many decades ago that a large percentage of the population isn't straight. He found that OVER a third of men had had at least one homosexual experience in their lifetimes resulting in orgasm. That's not to say they would casually tell you they're bisexual or that they would necessarily consider themselves anything but heterosexual. There are a lot of self-described "straight" men who have sex with other men, either occasionally or regularly. How they respond on a survey depends on who is asking and how the questions are worded.
I don't think we're ever going to get accurate statistics on any queer identity until we're rid of the forces that keep us closeted... but I too strongly suspect that even this new 1/3 figure is a gross underestimate.
"I don't think we're ever going to get accurate statistics on any queer identity until we're rid of the forces that keep us closeted" <-- I can believe that, but I still think that is an overestimate.
"He found that OVER a third of men had had at least one homosexual experience in their lifetimes resulting in orgasm" <-- The same way that having an orgasm doesn't mean an event (which in that case is rape) was consensual, having an orgasm doesn't meant a gay sexual act was in fact appreciated as such by the person having it.
A man who thinks of themselves as straight, who does so once but is thinking to themselves that they don't need ever to do that again, are they homosexual? Bi?
Talia, to be clear, I was not talking about non-consensual sex (or rape). I do not quite understand your first comment and suggest you may want to edit it for clarity, lest someone read something into it that you didn't intend.
As to your question: Yes, having one consensual homosexual experience that results in (one's own) orgasm does indicate at least some sexually appetitive potential towards the same sex. Whether someone who is bisexual will ever have another same-sex sexual encounter or personally identify as bisexual is a matter of personal choice.
So, perhaps there are two ways of defining sexual orientation. One is a matter of who one is attracted to. The other is a matter of who one voluntarily has sex with. However, as a confirmed Kinsey 6, I can assure you there is no potential I would ever orgasm with a man. None at all. For most of us (perhaps 2/3, as I recall), there is no choice about it at all. The misalignment of sexual attraction and behavior is driven by the pressures of society to conform to cisheteronormativity.
es, having one consensual homosexual experience that results in (one's own) orgasm does indicate at least some sexually appetitive potential towards the same sex." <-- No, it does not, not any more than having an orgasm during a rape means it is not rape. There is a physical level where orgasm is simply a reptilian reflex meaning nothing but that autonomic criteria for having it are satisfied. To put it another way, having an orgasm doesn't mean you were into it.
Well, you seem to be really hung up on rape here. To be clear, yet again, Kinsey was not referring to rape, nor am I. He was (and I am) referring to CONSENSUAL sex (i.e. both parties being willing participants - under no pressure, force, or coercion), culminating in orgasm. I don't know how to be any clearer than that. That was his operational definition. You may approve or disapprove of it, but that was the criterion he set, underlying his population figures.
"Well, you seem to be really hung up on rape here." <-- No, I am pointing out a fact which contradicts your contention that having an orgasm means someone is liking what they are doing . . . and therefore wants to do it again whether they do it or don't.
We're still friends although you are making a weird attempted 'ad hominem/strawman/poisoning' the well augment.
of 18 - 24 year olds.