h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This subject was briefly touched on in the recent thread about Women and Arm-Linking but only very briefly.

There was a survey about sex in general in one of the big UK broadsheets a few months ago which said, among a lot of other things, that more males than females had engaged in homosexual activities (the figures form memory were 5 and 3% respectively)

Does this surprise anyone else? I would have expected the reverse with some certainty...and with a much larger percentage on the female side. Though Im not exactly sure why!

No it dosn't surprise me, a lot of women find it more difficult to come out. perhaps because women will have a long term relationship with a close friend, and accept the unsatisfactory sex.

A lot of people fine it acceptable for men but notwomen to be gay, esp certain striaght women, who like haven't a gay best friend as a fasion acessory, but don't understand lesbians.

Maybe it suprises you because certain films always have bisexual women in them?

I don't know about the relative size of the statistics, but I was always lead to believe that the average was nearer 10%.

I know a lot more women who are _prepared to admit to_ experimenting, there's still more stigma attached to men I think...it's easier to be a gay male than a bi/experimental male.

The 10% figure came from Kinsey- if I remember rightly, it actually refered to the amount of the population which had had *any* homosexual experience, be it the night before or 20 years ago. He also used a rather small sample, and extropolated.

Hang on - I have

To quote Z:

"No it dosn't surprise me, a lot of women find it more difficult to come out. perhaps because women will have a long term relationship with a close friend, and accept the unsatisfactory sex."

To a lot of women, admitting they´re gay means accepting that they will not have children, which is a big thing to accept. I know that nowadays with medical science this will be less of an issue than it used to, but it is an issue...

Also, a lot of women don't 'come out' - they´re simply gay and it´s no big deal, whereas with men, it´s often more of an announcement, a statement of who they are.

"A lot of people fine it acceptable for men but notwomen to be gay, esp certain striaght women, who like haven't a gay best friend as a fasion acessory, but don't understand lesbians."

If I understood this correctly, you´re referring to so-called 'fag-hags'? Male, gay friends give a woman the image she often wants to convey, being seen in the company of a (often gorgeous) man.
One thing about homosexuality that one must remember is the fact that it isn´t about 'sex' strictly speaking, it´s about who one has feelings for, men or women. Sex is merely an expression of those feelings...

"Maybe it suprises you because certain films always have bisexual women in them?"

A common fantasy, both among men and women. But to be truly bi-sexual, and not try-sexual, is one of the most difficult things to be. Neither gays nor straights accept you, and your partner will always wonder if you will leave them for the other gender. However, sexual preferences have in general nothing to do with fidelity, which is a personal choice or principle...

cheers ismarah

...Or, if you play it rigt, and work at it, you're accepted by both.

Why couldn't a hetrosexual male be accepted by both? thats a bit sexualist isn't it.

I agree with some of the about, that alot of this is todo with experimentation, or fashion or who you truly have feelings for.

-- DoctorMO --

Interesting, I read of a study which effectively showed that all women are *sexually* (not emotionally) bisexual.

The womens level of arousal was measured by measureing the blood flow in the vagina, and lesbians, bisexuals, and straight women were all studied. They showed all the women straight and lesbian pornography and all the women were aroused equally by both types.

Conversely the same was not true of the straight and gay men in the study. The gay men were not aroused by straight pornography, and the straight men were not aroused by the gay pornography.

Im surprised that people feel that male homosexuality is more socially acceptable than female; I've always thought the reverse was true.

There is certainly a conception (mis- or otherwise, as a straight male I can only go by what Ive read and heard) that women are more likely to be physically attracted to their own sex than men are. I wonder if the fact (if it is one) that fewer women have had homosexual experiences is due to relationships being more important to them than physical sex...at any rate to a greater extent than with men - though perhaps I've got that wrong as well!

Well women are more accepted by society being gay, but partly because of the lack of the "eugh factor" from straight men. However I think it's easier for gay men to find a gay community as there is, (where I live anyway) a more distinct gay community than lesbian one.

Yes I was refering to fag hags. But if you go back to school days, a gay 16 year old, who already has female friends are going to find many of them happy to go to a gay bar with him. However if you havea 16 year old lesbian then (straight) female friends are unlikey to go to a lesbian dominated bar at that age, and male friends area unlikely to want to go either.

As a bit of an old timer on the gay scene, (at 21 ) I've noticed that since started going to gay clubs at 16 it is getting more and more young gay men come out, there's masses of 16 and 17 year olds these days, but they are all male, usually with straight female friends.

Though there does seem to be an acceptance these days amounght youngher lesbians that they will have children one day. Nearly all of them are planning to at 17- 18 Ironically I don't know any of them who still want to at 21+


However the artifical insemination route to a family is in realitiy almost exculisvily restricted to middle class lesbians, for working class women it doesn't seem to be open to them.

In the heavy metal scene it does seem like there are at least as many, if not more bisexual women than straight ones...

Z, there's always the tried and tested turkey baster method for those ho can find a willing donor...


...we even have semenars (sorry, could resist) here in Brum

Even the turkey baster method seems to require quite a bit of technical knowledge to get the right date.

I haven't read the whole backlog, so apologies if anybody has already said all this.

According to a survey done a few years ago, the percentage of the male population that is homosexual is about 2.5 - 4%. The percentage of the female population that is homosexual is lower - about 1.5%. I believe the survey was done in various places in the UK, USA and Europe. The highest figure the survey was able to get was from San Francisco and that was only 10%. The figure from Kinsey's survey was much higher, nearer 50%, but this figure is generally ignored because it was found that Kinsey's questions were worded to give a high percentage of gay men. Basically, Kinsey was gay and he wanted 'proof' that he was 'normal'.

I think a woman can engage in homosexual activity without actually being homosexual. This is probably harder for a man to do. I don't know, I'm just guessing.

Good point CD...

"I think a woman can engage in homosexual activity without actually being homosexual."

A sexual act, of a same sex variety doesn´t necessarily say anything about a persons sexuality...

cheers ismarah

So those 3% is that people who are "real" homosexuals, or does it include people who once had a homosexual experience?

I also would have thought there would be more women than men who are bi/homosexual. But I don't know if I can give any real reason for that. But women can go a lot further without being thought homosexual. Kissing, holding hands and going to the bathroom together. A guy doing this would be thought gay.

As mentioned before, only in certain parts of the world. French and Russian fellas kiss in greeting, Spainish, Italian and Greek men link arms.

Well, to me, going to the bathroom with another woman is not a sexual act. Often it is about safety in numbers...

cheers ismarah

"technical knowledge to get the right date"

Sheesh no, any branch of Boots will sell you an ovulation predictor kit... but even then, the odds are against you. It's amazing the human race continues!