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.