Thereisnoconcretedataonhowmanygaysthereareintheworld.Atonepoint，theKinseyInstituteforsexualitystudiesintheUnitedStatessuggestedthatgaysandlesbiansmakeuptenpercentofanygivenpopulation.StudiesconductedtodeterminethenumberofgaysandlesbiansintheUnitedStatesandGreatBritainhavefounddifferentresultsdependingonhowtheterm“homosexuality”wasdefined.Itisalsoverydifficulttocountthenumberofgaysandlesbiansinsomeplacesbecausetheymaynotbeopenabouttheirsexualorientation.Arecentstudybyoneorganizationbaseditsnumbersofthe2000UnitedStatesCensusandvoterregistrationinformationforelections.TheorganizationfoundthatgaysandlesbianscompriseapproximatelyfivepercentoftheUnitedStatespopulationoraround10.5millionpeople.
Itisgenerallyknownthathomosexualshaveexistedthroughouthistoryinnearlyeverysociety.Whilesomenationsmaydenytheexistenceofgaysandlesbiansintheirpopulations，mostresearchersbelievethatthisishighlyunlikely.
6.WhatisthedifferencebetweenthetermsLGBT，gay，lesbian，homosexualandqueer？
TheacronymLGBTrefersto“Lesbian，Gay，Bisexual，andTransgender”.Thetermhomosexualisamoretechnicalterm，andsomebelievethatitcarriesnegativeconnotations.Forthisreason，manyprefernottobecalled“homosexuals”.Theword“gay”cansometimesbeusedtorefertoonlyhomosexualmales，butithasalsobeenusedtorefermorebroadlytobothhomosexualmenandwomen.Theterm“Lesbian”refersexclusivelytohomosexualwomen.Theterm“queer”hasabroadermeaning，includingtransgenderandbisexualindividuals，andisusedtorefertobothmenandwomen.Theterm“queer”，however，maybeinsultingtosomegaysandlesbians.Itisatermthathasbeenandisstillusedinaderogatorymanner.Despitethis，somegaysandlesbiansnowusethetermasasymbolofprideintheirsexualorientation.
7.Howdoyouknowyouaregay？
Despitestereotypesandprejudices，therearenosignsormannerismsthateasilyidentifyapersonasbeinggay.Agaymanisnotnecessarilyeffeminate，andalesbiandoesnotnecessarilydisplayso-calledmasculinecharacteristics.Theywillnotwearcertainclothesorbehaveincertainways.Forthesereasons，anindividual’ssexualorientationismostofteninvisibletothegeneralpublic.