I think that there is probably some truth to this study, as it was "based on interviews with more than 121,000 people," and presumably with some scientific credibility.
However, there are probably some factors that suggest that the results may be skewed. Asking if someone is gay, or identifies with the LGBT community is not like asking someone if they are left- or right-handed. It's a bit like the way many young women don't identify themselves as "feminists," despite the fact that they may believe in gender equality (which should equate with "feminist"). It's hard to get the whole truth because the very word itself (gay or LGBT) is so fraught with prejudice (and shame). Would a closeted gay person or a man married to a woman (who has sex with men) answer a phone survey (with their wife at home) as gay or LGBT? The results are only as accurate as the answers they receive.
- Also, people identifying as LGBT (or part of the LGBT community) is not the same as being LGBT (hence the term Men who have sex with Men, which often identifies those who do not consider themselves gay or part of the LGBT community, but are still going downtown), or having had a same-sex sexual experience (and, of course, somebody can be gay without even having had sex ie. one can be a gay virgin just like one can be a straight virgin). All of those people should count as LGBT, but only some of them will put up their hands and be counted.
- That the percentage of people who acknowledged being gay varied by age may indicate that younger people are more willing to admit to being LGBT (as there is no reason to believe that people born 50 years ago were any more/less gay than people born 25 years ago. Also, it's interesting that they found a *higher* percentage of LGBT people in minority groups ("4.6 percent of African-Americans identify as LGBT, 4 percent of Hispanics, 4.3 percent of Asians and 3.2 percent of whites"), despite the fact that minority groups are often seen as being more traditional and less gay-friendly. The study revealed that "Overall, a third of those identifying as LGBT are nonwhite," yet these gay people of color are seldom seen in media which seems fixated on rich gay white males.
- It's interesting that that study found that "among 18-to-29-year-olds, 8.3 percent of women identify as LGBT, compared with 4.6 percent of men the same age." I would think that most people would be surprised to know that there were twice as many lesbians as gay men... or is this just an indication that women are more willing to admit to LGBT status than men?
- Even if the rate is 3 or 4 or 5%, that's still not such a small thing. 5% is 1 in 20 people. That's a lot. 4.8% of the US population is Asian, and like the LGBT community, Asians are more likely to be found in large cities and in states on the East or West coasts. Look at San Francisco: lots of Asians and lots of gays. We go together.
- I'm glad that the survey debunks the notion that gay people are all rich. Just as women earn less than men, gay people earn less than straight people.
Coach Bob knew it all along: you've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. You have to keep passing the open windows. (John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire)
Updated On: 10/19/12 at 10:48 PM
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