Homosexuality In Teens Becoming More Common?

I was thinking recently. In my school, a majority of the students are heterosexual. But we also have some bisexuals, and homosexuals. I started noticing that the students "gay" count was rising. Meaning, the number of gay students has risen since I started school.

Why would this be happening? I still don't know whether or not it is chemical/biological. But, I also think it depends on the environment a child is raised in.

I don't have an answer to your question but I do know that about 10 -15 years ago all of a sudden people were getting 'bi-curious' and it was almost a trend to be bi-sexual. I remember that there were a bunch of magazine articles in Time, Vanity Fair, Cosmo, etc. that talked about this sudden fad. I never understood it or participated in it but I went to school with people who did.

If this trend is still on-going I wouldn't know since I have long since graduated from college and know less about the 'scene' and more about being a mini-driving soccer Mom (or maybe now I'm called a security mom?)

I think that because homosexulity is no longer in the closet and is more 'acceptable' than it once was perhaps people are just trying to find themselves and are curious but are not necessarily gay. I don't know if the actual percentage of homosexuals has increased over the years or if people are now just admitting it earlier whereas in the past they may have been married with children and just lived with the secret and never acted on it.

Jemison

The question is how old are you?

If you are in college or highschool the reason is that this is the time when the majority of them come out.

I believe that about 1 in 10 people are homosexual, so would you say that it is higher or lower then that?

Then again, it depends on where you lve too.

If you go to school in New Orleans (like I did) you'll find a lot more gays then in other places.

Are you sure that 1 in 10 people are homosexual? That sounds VERY high. I was thinking maybe 1 in 1,000 or 1 in 10,000. I'll have to see if I can find any stats on that.

Jemison

It's becoming more acceptable for a person to be openly gay, especially a young person. You see gay talk show hosts, and gay comedians, and gay people in sitcoms, and gay people on all the MTV reality shows, etc etc. These things have helped (1) to show gay people that it's not something you need to be ashamed of and (2) to help acclimate heterosexual people to gay people, so that they don't look at them as taboo anymore.

If someone is experimenting, more often times than not they don't call themselves gay. If anything, usually that's done on a more private level. "Real" gay people are the ones who would identify themselves as such.

So that's all there is to it. I say if more young people are willing to be open about their sexuality, and if heterosexual youth are accepting of them and not ridiculing them, or insulting them, etc. That's nice to see. Heck, I was in high school not even a decade ago, and kids weren't as accepting (if they had been, I probably would not have hid the fact that I was gay). So even the progress made in the past few years is great to see.

Originally posted by Jemison
That sounds VERY high. I was thinking maybe 1 in 1,000 or 1 in 10,000. I'll have to see if I can find any stats on that.

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Correct, one in ten sounds quite high. It might be closer to 1 in 100 to 1 in 1000 having the gene with which to become homosexual. So the number of actually homosexual people is even less.

lol, people.
I go to a University where it is reported that 1/3 of the populations is gay. I am technically gay, but it has little to do with genetics, though mine do play a huge part in it. (I got PCOS, which gives me the raging hormones of a male, lol, with male characteristics to boot.) But my big reason for going after girls is because I don't trust males (been assaulted enough to know which side I trust). I DO trust girls becuase any girls I'd get with, I can beat the living daylights out of. In spite of it, I'm giving up on girls. How the hell am I supposed to get over my detest of guys unless I try to get over it.
Out of all the gay people I know and am friends with (25-40 people???), only 2 are "genetically gay".

Wow, I didn't realize that finding out what percentage of the population was homosexual would be so difficult! Apparently the homosexual community has long been using the 10% number but that is too high and even they admit that. According to most studies the numbers range between 1% to 4% which seems much closer to reality. I'll keep looking around for more information.

Jemison

No, there's been research that says as much. Usually the actual reported percentage is 2-3%, but that doesn't take into account people that are 'in the closet,' or that are unwilling to admit sexual preference one way or the other.

So it's somewhere in between 2-3% and 10%, but nowhere close to the 1 in 1,000, and certainly not 1 in 10,000.

I think we have approximately 293 million people in the USA. To put that in perspective, in the 2000 election, you had 1 million gay people voting for Bush. That's not taking into account those that did not vote (a majority), and those that are Democrats, or some other affiliation (far and away a majority).

So my estimate would probably be around, hmm, 5-7% of the USA population is genuinely gay.

Out of all the gay people I know and am friends with (25-40 people???), only 2 are "genetically gay".

So what you are saying is that people are NOT born gay ... or at least most of the people that you know? It's a choice rather than something that you were born with? I would guess that most homosexuals do not want to hear that since they say that they are being discriminated against based on genetics and not because of a choice.

Jemison

So my estimate would probably be around, hmm, 5-7% of the USA population is genuinely gay.

You mean 100% gay? Or does that include bi-sexuals or someone who may have had a gay relationship but is not necessarily gay, Like Laura Dern, Ellen DeGeneres's ex, who is now married to a man and a Mother?

And how do you know that 1 million gays voted for Bush? I'm not doubting you, I just don't remember being asked my sexual preference on either my voter registration card or my actual ballot.

Jemison

People that consider themselves as gay. Not bi-sexuals. And not someone who got really drunk one night and did some stuff they'd like to forget about (it's not the action that make you a homosexual).

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Exit polls confirmed that over 1,000,000 gays and lesbians voted for Bush/Cheney in the 2000 election, including nearly 50,000 in Florida alone.

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Taken from: www.logcabin.org...

They're the Log Cabin Republicans, they are a gay Republican group much like any of the other political activist groups out there. In 2000, over 1,000,000 of their members supported Bush. This year, because of what Bush's stance, they are witholding their endorsement of him. That means that quite a few of that 1 million will not be voting for Bush this year.

[edit on 25-10-2004 by W_HAMILTON]

Originally posted by Jemison
I think that because homosexulity is no longer in the closet and is more 'acceptable' than it once was perhaps people are just trying to find themselves and are curious but are not necessarily gay. I don't know if the actual percentage of homosexuals has increased over the years or if people are now just admitting it earlier whereas in the past they may have been married with children and just lived with the secret and never acted on it.

Perhaps people are experimenting more, but I think you were dead on when saying that homosexuality is no longer "in the closet." I doub't we have more people that are homosexual today than we did before, just more that will openly admit it. Homosexuality does not carry quite the social stigma that it did even 20 years ago.

Also, many seem to be defining homosexual as a black and white thing. You're either all gay, or all straight. There are many shades in between. One homosexual act does not make someone gay, or even bisexual. Experimenting when one is learning about themselves does not make one gay or bisexual. It's about how you feel, and how you are attracted to other people.

If homosexuality was ok then murderer and rape would be ok.

We like to believe that every action is good, since it's in our genetics. But when murderer rape is commited, we state that is wrong. But some how we sitll believe that homosexuality is correct.

Originally posted by Thinker
If homosexuality was ok then murderer and rape would be ok.

We like to believe that every action is good, since it's in our genetics. But when murderer rape is commited, we state that is wrong. But some how we sitll believe that homosexuality is correct.

Being a Mod I shouldnt say this but this is the most ignorent post I have seen in quite some time.

Murder and Rape are done AGAINST someones will, Gays are two ADULTS engaging in consensual sex. What the hell do they have in common?

Originally posted by Thinker
If homosexuality was ok then murderer and rape would be ok.

What!? That's the most ridiculous BS I have heard in a while! How can you equate homosexuality with murder and rape...WTH is wrong with you!?

Now...back to topic. It is true that it's almost like a fad now days in the schools to be bi...I think it's really sad because many of these kids are not bi, they're trying to fit in with the current fad...they are going to grow up with many problems about their own sexuality.....if you really gay or bi, that's one thing...no problem, but if your not and your doing to fit in....it's a problem.



[edit on 10/25/2004 by LadyV]

I think that as more people are accepting it more gays are open about it because they feel comfortable. I think genetics may have a very small role in homosexuality, but I think a big part is physcological. That doesnt mean someone wakes up one day and decides to be a homosexual. The brain is extremely complicated and we still dont know much about it or how it works. I think its safe to say its just who they are, and theres no point in ridiculing them over it, its not like they have much of a choice anyways. I also dont see it as inherently "right" or "wrong", it just is. You cant make any of this black and white, the world is just shades of grey.

Official numbers were abouts about 5%
But those offical numbers did not include gay people "in the closet" so 10% may be closer to reality.

I think it will become more and more common. I have too main reasons for this assumpsion.

Firstly, being homosexual or bi-sexual is more accepted by people. People realise that they are no diffrent to anyone else, bar their sexual preference. Be honest, what someone does in the bedroom does not harm anyone else. Please do not go down the route that if gay preference is allowed then people who like young children will seek a similar right. Thata is a not issue.

Second, I believe as people are becoming more worldy and religion is not so heavily relied on(especially in the more modernised countries), people are realising that it isn't about whether someone is gay, bi-sexual, black, white, tall, short, thin or fat. They are all people, humans, nothing more and nothing less. Love and caring are what really makes the world go round.