Still ten percent??

Villavic · #1 02-08-2005, 07:18 PM

Just curious, I've been reading or hearing since long ago that the homosexual population in the world is around 10 percent. Is it still true?

It looks to me that it is more than 10%, buy maybe it's because now medias are far more open (and of course also people in general) about this topic so there are more gays "out" of the closet.

Of course this can be relative, since it should include an analysis like.. are you including bi? "ocasional" gays? just who have sex? or also those who fall in love with? etc..

Anyway, does anybody know about recent and reliable statistics?

dissention · #2 02-08-2005, 07:19 PM

"Occasional gays."

That made me laugh my ass off, dear.

Love that term!

amber · #3 02-08-2005, 07:19 PM

I've heard that throughout time it has always been 10-25 percent, and i think it tends toward the higher number. Don't have a statistic site, though.

strandinthewind · #4 02-08-2005, 07:19 PM

Who knows for sure and it really is impossible IMO to get an accurate number when you have people who will never admit it (due mostly to religious and social stigmatization) and then those who have group sex and get off with the same sex during it and then those who mess around on the side. I personally think everyone is just sexual and to draw lines is ridiculous. I mean what is masterbation - it certainly is not heterosexual sex. In fact, in some places, it is considered a very homo thing to do.

Villavic · #5 02-08-2005, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissention

"Occasional gays."

That made me laugh my ass off, dear.

Love that term!

Yeah, I know, I couldn't find a better english word,

What I mean is people that sometimes do it (just sex), but I guess they really should be also bi. Of course you ask them and they deny it.,

dissention · #6 02-08-2005, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villavic

Yeah, I know, I couldn't find a better english word,

What I mean is people that sometimes do it (just sex), but I guess they really should be also bi. Of course you ask them and they deny it.,

I don't deny it.

I agree with what Jason said, though. He made good points.

Villavic · #7 02-08-2005, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

Who knows for sure and it really is impossible IMO to get an accurate number when you have people who will never admit it (due mostly to religious and social stigmatization) and then those who have group sex and get off with the same sex during it and then those who mess around on the side. I personally think everyone is just sexual and to draw lines is ridiculous. I mean what is masterbation - it certainly is not heterosexual sex. In fact, in some places, it is considered a very homo thing to do.

Interesting point.
In Colombia there was an anonymous survey, I read few years ago. And there was a high increased number of "straight" men who admited they have at least one homo sex relationship, and enjoyed it. But I can't remember the %. I do remember I thought in Peru it would give the same % results

strandinthewind · #8 02-08-2005, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villavic

Interesting point.
In Colombia there was an anonymous survey, I read few years ago. And there was a high increased number of "straight" men who admited they have at least one homo sex relationship, and enjoyed it. But I can't remember the %. I do remember I thought in Peru it would give the same % results

The Latino culture is esp. hard on gay people. I think it is the whole Machismo thing made severer by the Catholic guilt doctrine. I know more than one Latino who has multiple boy partners outside of his "perfectly happy" heterosexual marriage.

strandinthewind · #9 02-08-2005, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissention

I don't deny it.

I agree with what Jason said, though. He made good points.

THANK YOU

Interestingly, Kinsey's study is probably still very applicable today. He really had a way of making people open up.

Villavic · #10 02-08-2005, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

The Latino culture is esp. hard on gay people. I think it is the whole Machismo thing made severer by the Catholic guilt doctrine. .

Yes, however it is changing. It is less hard than in the 70s or 80s. For example, when I was at college, it was unimaginable that a kid could visit a gay disco. Now many guys (18yo) have visited and they don't deny it (of course they say it was just for curious or for the music. But at leas they are not ashame it.
And there is more symptoms about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I know more than one Latino who has multiple boy partners outside of his "perfectly happy" heterosexual marriage.

HA! I'm sure than even more than ten thousand..

ontheEdgeof17 · #11 02-09-2005, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by takenbythesky

Same here. Reminds me of an article I read that stated an anonymous American politician said, "I'm not gay--it's just my penis that is!" "

That burns my crawl just like "I'm str8 acting". WTF?!?!

markolas · #12 02-09-2005, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ontheEdgeof17

That burns my crawl just like "I'm str8 acting". WTF?!?!

It's not as bad as using the words "mangina" and "sh*t p*ssy." Ugh...

DrummerDeanna · #13 02-09-2005, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

The Latino culture is esp. hard on gay people. I think it is the whole Machismo thing made severer by the Catholic guilt doctrine. I know more than one Latino who has multiple boy partners outside of his "perfectly happy" heterosexual marriage.

This is very true....in El Paso, TX there's this big gay culture - we call them the El Paso gay boys...they all look eerily alike and come from similar backgrounds (not ALL - I'm generalizing)....in many cases their mothers accept them - but their fathers not so much....or in some cases they are ostracized by their entire families.

My good friend Matthew is a good example...his father still doesn't know he's gay (I don't know HOW) - actually I think he does know - they make horrible remarks to him when he's home....and his family still talks to him and such - but if he makes any reference at all to being gay or anything gay they yell at him and make him feel like s**t - it's very sad...

strandinthewind · #14 02-09-2005, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux

. . . I agree with Jason (surprisingly), . . .

GateandGarden · #15 02-09-2005, 01:39 PM

What do y'all think about the conservative sites that say 10 percent is too high? I've visited many and they often say the 10 percent thing is made up by the gay community in order to obtain more recognition, etc. I've seen some sites that claim it's really only about 1-3 percent. Just based on the gay people I've met, I would say that can't be accurate, and I'm in a place where coming out of the closet is, in some cases, comparable to signing your death warrant. Also, I read Eric Marcus' Is It a Choice?, and he thought the 10 percent was very inaccurate as well. (And he's a gay guy--it's a pro-gay book designed to dispel myths). However, he doesn't claim to have scientific evidence or be an expert. But, from what he's seen, he thinks it's about 4 to 5 percent. That is discouraging to me when I think of finding someone to be with! But, as Jason already pointed out, it's really difficult to do an accurate study on this because there are so many people out there who will never admit that they are gay or bi.