Is Homosexuality On The Increase?

Themainman said:
Does all this point to the fact that it is indeed a lifestyle choice and depending on the prevailing circumstances,both socially and personally,the man can switch,suddenly and then perhaps change back again.
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I think that this proves that you can't compartmentalise human sexuality.
 
The discussion of homosexuality and the portrayal of gay and lesbian people in films and television has certainly increased over the last ten years... but then so has the discussion and portrayal of S&M, threesomes, voyeurism, fetishes and every other manifestation of sexuality.

This does not necessarily mean that homosexuality itself is on the increase, merely that television, film, magazines, newspapers etc are devoting more time to the entire topic of sex.

This could/should be a good move towards greater tolerance of different sexual behaviours but sadly, on the whole, the programmes and articles on this subject are incredibly sensationalist and facile. Designed to titilate not educate.

A good indicator of how little progress has been made, is the way that many people still categorise others by their sexuality - as if 'gayness' is somehow all that person is capable of. Sadder still, is the way that many people define themselves by their sexuality as if that is all they are as a person.

I hope this is just a societal phase :)
 
Dashwood said:
The discussion of homosexuality and the portrayal of gay and lesbian people in films and television has certainly increased over the last ten years... but then so has the discussion and portrayal of S&M, threesomes, voyeurism, fetishes and every other manifestation of sexuality.

This does not necessarily mean that homosexuality itself is on the increase, merely that television, film, magazines, newspapers etc are devoting more time to the entire topic of sex.

This could/should be a good move towards greater tolerance of different sexual behaviours but sadly, on the whole, the programmes and articles on this subject are incredibly sensationalist and facile. Designed to titilate not educate.

A good indicator of how little progress has been made, is the way that many people still categorise others by their sexuality - as if 'gayness' is somehow all that person is capable of. Sadder still, is the way that many people define themselves by their sexuality as if that is all they are as a person.

I hope this is just a societal phase :)
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I define myself in menny ways and using menny things.

One of these is my sexuality. It gives me power over those who would wish to harm me because of who I chose to sleep with. I also found that by realising I was gay I banished some of my deamons and so there are menny reasons that people may define themselfs by their sexuality.
 
been drinking, so pardon rambling

Menny ways indeed ^_^ James, you have very apt spelling errors :)

Everyone's looking for an identity at the end of the day. I know when I first came out as gay and started going to the local gay pub, I was so delighted to feel part of a community finally, and everyone was so sweet and friendly. Of course, all is not parades and roses, but I can understand where people find themselves acceptance and a sense of being a part of something
when they've felt like an outsider all their lives, they want to hang on to it.

As for people being defined by their sexuality as though gayness is all there is, think about how much, heterosexuals rattle on about their sexuality all the time, even if not directly - Think how much general conversation concerns who's doing who, who fancies who, who you fancy, your life, your partner, your kids, your divorce, your ex, your custody battles over the dog, who the dog fancies, etc, all indirectly involving your inclinations in some way. There's kind of a joy in finding you can finally do the same, even if people do think that all you do is talk about being gay - Goddamn it, all straight people do is talk about being straight!
It's just if someone gay mentions their bf/gf more than twice in one conversation, people who are slightly uncomfortable with it think "God, can't they talk about something else ever?" Of course there are insecure people who rattle on too much about it, but for true equality, gay people should be able to talk about being gay just as much as straight people remind you they're straight.

*hic*

And yes@everything Dashwood said.

But! At the end of the day, we're all just messed up human beings, and who we choose to sleep with is entirely our own concern. I don't like telling people I'm a gay gal (Even though I've done it many times on the net - easier when you're typing) because it's a very personal thing to tell someone you don't know well, and frankly no one elses business. Hic. :D

I'm paranoid now about being a rambly-no-sense-lady
 
Yes and Yes!

Hetro's talk all the time about being hetros but if you mension that you are gay then you get acused of being obsessed by your sexuality.

Hetro's define themselfs by their sexuality, why can't we?

Some of the other ways I define myself: dyslexic, frustrated romantic, part goth, fetishist, a man with a tendency towards depresion ect. ect. Why do poeple always focus on the gay bit?

And by the way, you didn't ramble. You where spot on.

If any other users want to mail me about how we (gay people) define ourselfs in oposition to hetrosexuals then they can. I must warn you, it's verry complicated.
 
Just to add my 2 cents to the current drift of this thread :) ...(of course could write pages, but I'll restrain myself):

In addition to all the wonderful points made by the other folk, I come out to people a lot out a sense of obligation, for lack of a better word. I owe a heck of a lot to the courageous souls that came before me and feel the need to make it a little more open for the people twenty years from now.

Old joke, that I don't particularly like, but it illustrates some good points.

Q. What's the difference between being gay and being black?

A. If you're black, you don't have to tell your parents.

No matter at work, church, hobbyist club, wherever, it still amazes me the people that are convinced that there's an *us* and a *them* and that they can tell whether
one of *them* is in the room.

It gives 'em a little cognitive dissonance, I believe the high falutin' term is, to know that part of me. I'm not a one-identity person, and certainly no paragon of any kind, but my gayness IS a part of me, and if I don't tell people, how they gonna know?

[rant over]
 
Some statistics from Spain, interesting.
I always thought the rule of thumb was: 1:20 is attracted to same sex.
But this seems to be: "Among Self-identified Heterosexual Young Adults"

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https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-022-02315-6
 
uair01 said:
Some statistics from Spain, interesting.
I always thought the rule of thumb was: 1:20 is attracted to same sex.
But this seems to be: "Among Self-identified Heterosexual Young Adults"

View attachment 63023

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-022-02315-6
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Interesting, here are the stats from the UK 2021 census as released by the ONS::

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...s/sexualorientationenglandandwales/census2021

3.2% identified as LGBT and 89.4% exclusively heterosexual

The figures for Spanish men are lower than UK men in terms of reporting as gay or bisexual, I personally feel this is a cultural thing as Spain has a much stronger Catholic heritage
 
Paul_Exeter said:
Interesting, here are the stats from the UK 2021 census as released by the ONS::

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...s/sexualorientationenglandandwales/census2021

3.2% identified as LGBT and 89.4% exclusively heterosexual

The figures for Spanish men are lower than UK men in terms of reporting as gay or bisexual, I personally feel this is a cultural thing as Spain has a much stronger Catholic heritage
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Also,
Nationally, 28,000 (0.06%) described themselves as asexual.
10,000 (0.02%) wrote in a different sexual orientation.
 
Yithian said:
'Queer' is used to mean non-heterosexual (all the various types) + transgender.

'Non-conventional' would be a simple synonym.

But please, let's try to keep this thread narrowly focused on the title from now on.
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Many Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people find the term Queer offensive, especially when it is used by straight people.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
Interesting, here are the stats from the UK 2021 census as released by the ONS::

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...s/sexualorientationenglandandwales/census2021

3.2% identified as LGBT and 89.4% exclusively heterosexual

The figures for Spanish men are lower than UK men in terms of reporting as gay or bisexual, I personally feel this is a cultural thing as Spain has a much stronger Catholic heritage
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After thinking longer about this (always wise) this seems to be more interesting than I assumed.
It is *not* about the percentage of homosexuality in the general population.
It is about openness about homosexuality in the population that self-identifies as heterosexual.
So:
  • 0,6% of self-dentified heterosexual men are equally (or more) attracted to men
  • 1,1% of self-dentified heterosexual women are equally (or more) attracted to women
It supports the common research finding that women are sexually more flexible than men.
 
uair01 said:
It supports the common research finding that women are sexually more flexible than men.
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It does seem that more women than men are bisexual. At least, I have met a lot of women who are bisexual.
 
uair01 said:
After thinking longer about this (always wise) this seems to be more interesting than I assumed.
It is *not* about the percentage of homosexuality in the general population.
It is about openness about homosexuality in the population that self-identifies as heterosexual.
So:
  • 0,6% of self-dentified heterosexual men are equally (or more) attracted to men
  • 1,1% of self-dentified heterosexual women are equally (or more) attracted to women
It supports the common research finding that women are sexually more flexible than men.
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Dr Lisa Diamonds research also points out that sexuality change in adulthood (sexual fluidity) is far, far more common in women than men. Indeed, iirc, its more common than life-long lesbianism. Her TED talk on sexul fluidity is very illuminating.
 
I got the impression this is more a result of media exposure. Considering the media gays and lesbians are getting, you could think they consist of 30-50% of the population. Same goes for trans people also.
 
I apologise if I have got this all wrong, but I seem to recall a study of rats that said the more crowded they are the more likely they were to become homosexual? Maybe it is some natural self-limiting thing?
 
Cochise said:
I apologise if I have got this all wrong, but I seem to recall a study of rats that said the more crowded they are the more likely they were to become homosexual? Maybe it is some natural self-limiting thing?
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Now if there was some sort of natural self limiting (population control) phenomenon occurring - it is a wonder it hasn't been researched fully.....

If it had been researched and was replicable under lab conditions, it could be used to control populations.....I bet there is already a conspiracy theory that says that is what is happening....
 
Whilst I would struggle to regenerate proper citations as to the root source of these summary statements, I believe I am accurately-reporting here what has been scientifically/systematically derived at:

- at a species level, sociological & biological drivers which promote group dominant characteristics of intelligence over raw physicality contribute towards a global reduction in fundamental sexual differentials

- higher primates select reproductive mates primarily on the basis of perceived beauty or related supportive attributes (beauty & symmetry at the level of the individual mirrors health and reproductive success at cellular/fetal level): this makes human society exponentially-more pretty over time, but this results in what can be thought of as being silos of autonarcissism cf 'the princess effect'

- any form of sexual activity which is not explicitly for the purposes of instinctive reproduction has at its core firstly an affirmation of self, inconsequentially followed by affirmation of The Other

- there is an inescapable correlation between divergent/non-conventional neurological states of being (especially high-functioning atypical individuals) and homosexuality

- there is an evaded societal dimension regarding homosexuality that it will always exhibit higher levels of adherence within times of plenty (both at group & a personal level). This is deeper and beyond the aphoristic truism that "Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times"

TLDR: OP; yes, it is.
 
Xanatic* said:
You might be thinking of John Calhoun's experiments, regarding rodents being placed in an environment of plenty. Things got weird.
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In the words of Tony Soprano, You get a pass for that. Even the famously homophobic Mafia make allowances for how men in prison deal with their sex drive.

This becomes an important subplot regarding the exact relationship between two mobsters/former inmates who may or may not have been close in prison.
Have to say that this went right over my head when I first watched it, but to people in the know it's obvious. All the clues are there.
Not to me though. :dunno:
 
Vardoger said:
I got the impression this is more a result of media exposure. Considering the media gays and lesbians are getting, you could think they consist of 30-50% of the population. Same goes for trans people also.
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... and vegans :headbang:

But then the ONS found that perhaps 1 in 10 of people in their 20s to 30s in London are LGBT and this is where the media are based, likewise people who aren't 'White British'. Essentially, everything media is London-centric in Britain and it can sometimes seem like a different country if you live out in the provinces
 
Edit: personally I'm not affronted by any of this but I do wish the ever-expanding LGBTIQA+ - now LGBTQQIP2SAA I believe - would be simplified, it is just virtue signalling and counterproductive as it attracts ridicule even from well-meaning people and soon it will be longer than the alphabet itself....
 
Paul_Exeter said:
Edit: personally I'm not affronted by any of this but I do wish the ever-expanding LGBTIQA+ - now LGBTQQIP2SAA I believe - would be simplified, it is just virtue signalling and counterproductive as it attracts ridicule even from well-meaning people and soon it will be longer than the alphabet itself....
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It's generally reduced to just lgbt or lgbtq+ in almost all lgbt circles/groups I've participated in.

The simplest way of thinking about it is that it just means everyone who isn't cis and/or isn't allo and/or heterosexual. Whether that's a good or bad thing is a matter of debate.

Personally, I think there's a place to celebrate all forms of non-harmful human sexuality, a separate more focused place to raise awareness and tackle bigotry against minority sexualities, and an even more focused place to deal with issues specific to a particular community or minority, such as gay or trans or ace. I think all three layers are required.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
But then the ONS found that perhaps 1 in 10 of people in their 20s to 30s in London are LGBT and this is where the media are based, likewise people who aren't 'White British'. Essentially, everything media is London-centric in Britain and it can sometimes seem like a different country if you live out in the provinces
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Yup, this is how it's always been. It was apparent to us kids back in the Swinging 'Sixties.
Well, in London it was the Swinging Sixties. Up North we were approaching 1951. Slowly. :chuckle:

We'd hear about Beatniks and occasionally spot a man with long hair - possible reaching past the tops of his ears! - or watch the male dancers on TV shows, and my father would grumble 'Poofs!'* and 'The Permissive Society steps at my front door!'
Not an original thinker, he'd probably read the like in the Daily Mirror.

None of my mates had any idea that 'pouf' meant 'homosexual'. We didn't even know the word. 'Pouf' to us meant 'cissy'.

I can see now how worrying all this was for my parents' generation. The tabloids were warning that their children were about to become raging poufs, Women's Libbers, cannabis fiends, anti-war/pro abortion marchers, mixed-marriage partners, disability rights campaigners, you name it.
My kind of people. :cool:


*Oooh, as I was typing that the narrator of Hitler's Secret Sex Life on TV stated that homosexuality was believed to be so rife in the early 1930s Nazi Party, it was called 'a brotherhood of poofs'. That exact word 'poof' at the same time as I typed it. :omg:

If that's not an omen, I don't know what is. :omr:
 
Delightful said:
It's generally reduced to just lgbt or lgbtq+ in almost all lgbt circles/groups I've participated in.

The simplest way of thinking about it is that it just means everyone who isn't cis and/or isn't allo and/or heterosexual. Whether that's a good or bad thing is a matter of debate.

Personally, I think there's a place to celebrate all forms of non-harmful human sexuality, a separate more focused place to raise awareness and tackle bigotry against minority sexualities, and an even more focused place to deal with issues specific to a particular community or minority, such as gay or trans or ace. I think all three layers are required.
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Personally I don't see anything bad in it and it saddens me that heterosexual men in particular have felt so threatened by homosexuality over the ages and felt the need to enshrine discrimination in religions and the law. Hopefully we are leaving all that behind us (in the West at least) and each successive generation is more tolerant and discriminatory laws have been relaxed or abolished.
 
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