CDC Survey: Less than 3% of the US population is gay, lesbian or bisexual

[pwaldo]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...f8f_story.html

Less than 3 percent of the U.S. population identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday in the first large-scale government survey measuring Americans’ sexual orientation.

The National Health Interview Survey, which is the government’s premier tool for annually assessing Americans’ health and behaviors, found that 1.6 percent of adults self-identify as gay or lesbian, and 0.7 percent consider themselves bisexual.

The overwhelming majority of adults, 96.6 percent, labeled themselves as straight in the 2013 survey. An additional 1.1 percent declined to answer, responded “I don’t know the answer” or said they were “something else.”

The figures offered a slightly smaller assessment of the size of the gay, lesbian and bisexual population than other surveys, which have pegged the overall proportion at closer to 3.5 or 4 percent. In particular, the estimate for bisexuals was lower than in some other surveys.

The inclusion of the sexual-orientation question in an influential survey used to guide government funding and research decisions was viewed as a major victory for the gay community, which has struggled with a dearth of data about its special health needs.

“This is a major step forward in trying to remedy some of these gaps in our understanding of the role sexual orientation and gender identity play in people’s health and in their lives,” said Gary J. Gates, a demographer at the Williams Institute, a research center at the University of California at Los Angeles that studies the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population.

[37jetson]

Not that there is anything wrong with that, I always thought the 10% figure for LGBT was a bit high.

It is more than time for the Republicans to welcome LGBT (and a whole lot of other groups) into the fold so we never see the likes of Barack Obama again.

[Wickabee]

I call bad surveying. It HAS to be at least 15% or who are all these people claiming not to be gay but carrying on same sex relationships.

[GroundSupport]

With the amount of out cry and rallies, you'd think at least 40% of people are gay. Oh, that's just liberal media going nuts.

[mrveggieman]

I think the number is much higher. Some people just don't like disclosing their sexual identity becaue it's no one else's business.

[Star_Cards]

With the amount of out cry and rallies, you'd think at least 40% of people are gay. Oh, that's just liberal media going nuts.

There are many people who are active in the LGBT community and fighting for them to have the same rights as heterosexuals who are not gay.

[Star_Cards]

I think the number is much higher. Some people just don't like disclosing their sexual identity becaue it's no one else's business.

I'd agree that the numbers should be to some degree higher than reported because of a lot of people not being public about it or haven't figured out exactly where they categorize themselves sexually.

[gsj68]

3 out of 100,from my experience that seems pretty close for gay,now if we are talking "different" sexual acts that would be around 100%

[pwaldo]

I think the number is much higher. Some people just don't like disclosing their sexual identity becaue it's no one else's business.

That would be the 1.1% who declined to answer, didn't know, or were something else.

[stlcardinalsfan]

With the amount of out cry and rallies, you'd think at least 40% of people are gay. Oh, that's just liberal media going nuts.

its all propoganda to get a vote.

its way less than 10 percent.

just media over hypes it and makes it the focal point on cultural "news".