Homosexuality In Teens Becoming More Common?

The famous "Kinsey Study" on American sexual story pegs the male homosexuality rate at about 10%, which figure I'd anecdotally say is pretty accurate, although i'd argue it's probably about 8%, not 10%. www.indiana.edu.... As for it being more common among teenagers, it's probably some combination of the following:

a) generally higher levels of tolerance in society (true in most areas, definitely not true in some others)
b) easier access to information about sex/sexuality/related issues, especially thanks to the internet; one of my friends was from backcountry alabama and had no clue what he was till he read about "being gay" when he came out to college (no pun intended), but I'm guessing what with the higher media presence and broader availability of information it'd be far harder today to grow up not knowing what being gay is.

b) is a big point: if you watch (american) films or tv from before the mid-90s, you never see openly gay characters; although a lot is hinted at in older films, if you don't know what they're hinting at you probably won't figure it out.

For the record: I've found it most useful when dealing with things like gay/bi/straight to avoid those terms entirely whenever possible. It seems like all people (guys and girls alike) can be characterized like this:

a 1-100 score on how much they're attracted to guys
a 1-100 score on how much they're attracted to girls

and you get a lot of variation in that. I'm probably a (5,50), meaning I'm not really very attracted to guys in general -- disclaimer, I'm a guy -- and attracted to women, but not compulsively; a lot of gay guys seem to be (70,20) ish, meaning they like the company of women, but are strongly attracted to men; and a lot of "experimenters" are people in the range of like (40,40) or so, so both scores are pretty evenly balanced and they need to figure out which score is higher.

In any case, whatever your take on the morality and/or "rightness" and/or "genetic basis"/"conscious choice" stuff about being gay, as a practical matter I advise you all to take a live and let live approach; at various points I've had gay professors, bosses, roommates, and friends, and all were people worth knowing...it's best not to write off any group of people prematurely. Also, guys, you'll find gay guys can be super helpful: my girlfriend's got a bunch of gay friends she goes shopping with, and boy do they make my life easier for that, let me tell you.

So yeah, the apparently increased frequency of homosexuality in american high schools is interesting, but I wouldn't be terribly concerned with it, either.

Food for thought:

www.guardian.co.uk...

www.google.com.au...

Originally posted by Jemison
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.

Well, let's put this into perspective.

We now have more than just a suspicion that alcoholism is a genetic disorder that runs in families. I've even heard psychologists suggestively link ADD and alcoholism. It's considered a genetic disposition. Those who do not fight it, but embrace it, become alcoholics. Some decide that they do not want to live that life, and so avoid alcohol, and are never alcoholics. Others go for years with the problem, then take a look at their life and decide that they don't like where it's going, and forceably quit, but are considered alcohlics. this is a prime case of why just because it's in your disposition, it doesn't mean you have to follow it.

Then you can also look at the nuns and priests of the Catholic religion. All of them are sexual beings, being something that has a sexual orientation, irellevant of their preference. Excluding those who break their vows, looking to those who are truely celibate, you get to see those who place mind over matter SPECIFICALLY in the area of sex. A mind over matter issue.

Some with that mayhap genetic disposition towards being gay (and I could claim this, I have a damned genetic disorder with several sexual problems interlinking it) do not feel that it's right, for wahtever reason, and NEVER practice it. Others practice it for years, see the way their life is going, and choose to never sleep with the same sex again. It's a matter of choice. Your genetics are not truely in control of you, irellevant of a given disposition.

I never brought up the comment on why they were geitting discriminated against. Until they can pick out the gene and say, "This it it! This is why these men/women are gay!" you aren't going to get anywhere with the argument, and then, since genetic tendancies can be overcome, the argument will never end.

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

In that sense with your flawed "logic," couldn't homosexuality be easily replaced with any other genetic trait? For example, if having brown hair were ok then murder and rape would be ok. Homosexuality and hair color are both genetic, so why exactly does homosexuality compare to rape and murder but hair color doesn't? Furthermore murder is not a genetic trait, murder is almost always the result of some sort of emotional confrontation or planned act, not from some sort of "murder gene." The same thing can be said of rape as well. The only possible argument you can make for this, however weak it may be, is that levels of testosterone and adrenaline in a person can play a good part in actions such as murder and rape but such things can be controlled or restrained whereas sexual preference cannot. Furthermore yet again, homosexuality affects nobody more than the two consenting people involved in the acts whereas rape and murder is an illegal invasion upon another, unwitting persons, being and right to life.

Originally posted by Thinker
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.

Every pompous and uneducated remark here is addressed above.

problem with the number of bisexual or homosexual people increasing is quite simple. the one reason that is touted for bi or homosexuality is that it is genetic, meaning that the numbers should NOT increase within ONE generation!!!

basically to me its simple...the more you say something is O.K. the more people will experiment with it. i think the reason there MAY be more homo or bi sexual people is the fact that it is MORE acceptable today. it still goes against nature itself though!!! but thats my 2 pennies.

I'm not sure how something that happens more frequently in nature than it does in humans can 'go against nature,' but uhhhh ok.

I worked for a lesbian doctor for about five years. I'd have to say that at least a third of our patients were from the gay community. I was in the position of having access to sensitive patient information. The experience left me with the impression that in fact there's no such thing as being "exclusively" gay. What I mean is...the majority of the gay patients I dealt with had sexual relationships with both males and females. I was stunned by the number of lesbian women who had been married to a man and had children...and then went on to have numerous short-term relationships with other women and men...in no particular sequence. The same went for the gay men. Truthfully, I doubt I've met a gay person who hasn't had relations with both sexes. So then...what really does being gay mean?

I also worked for a Chinese doctor from Shanghai. According to her, the Chinese believe that homosexuality is due a hormonal imbalance...and they try to correct it over there.

I'm not sitting on the fence about this, but I really don't know what to think. At one time I believed that gay people were just born that way, period. Now I'm thinking that maybe they're born that way because their hormones are screwed up? Every gay patient I met at that clinic had a history of some kind of mental/emotional problems...every one of them. And I'm talking about pages and pages of notes. One patient had a file almost two inches thick...mainly pages from her shrink. Most saw psychiatrists or psychologists and alot were on some kind of brain-chemical altering meds. Only a small percentage of "straight" patients fell into that category and any mental/emotional issues were benign in comparison. There seems to be a connection there.

as the population of the world goes past the even point. Scientists have seen this exact same thing happen in large colonies of mice, rats, dogs, etc. It's natures way of population control and since the world is getting over populated you should expect to see this among other things happening.

Originally posted by GrndLkNatv
as the population of the world goes past the even point. Scientists have seen this exact same thing happen in large colonies of mice, rats, dogs, etc. It's natures way of population control and since the world is getting over populated you should expect to see this among other things happening.

Okay...I'll bite...what exactly is the "even point"?

Regarding nature's way of population control...I didn't see any signs of any such thing in my experiences with the gay community. It seemed to me they procreated as many unwanted children as their straight counterparts did...only more screwed up. In my opinion then, the world will continue to over populate...only with more confusion.

What are some of the "other things" that will happen? Please elaborate.

Besides mother nature controlling the population via more Gay individuals who won't procreate she also brings about more disease and other things that will eliminate the population down to normal levels, or the level at which nature seems fit. If you don't understand that you might understand that until we the human race made massive advances in medicine and sanitation the average man or woman lived to be age 40 and that was only 100 years ago. Today we have moved ahead of mother nature but now she is fighting back, it's pretty simple, read your college textbooks.

What is the mechanism behind "mother natures population control"?

Originally posted by GrndLkNatv
Besides mother nature controlling the population via more Gay individuals who won't procreate she also brings about more disease and other things that will eliminate the population down to normal levels, or the level at which nature seems fit. If you don't understand that you might understand that until we the human race made massive advances in medicine and sanitation the average man or woman lived to be age 40 and that was only 100 years ago. Today we have moved ahead of mother nature but now she is fighting back, it's pretty simple, read your college textbooks.

My...a tad testy.

If you actually read my previous post in it's entirety...I did say that based on my experience with the gay community there was no evidence of their procreation lessening...in fact they're right up there with their straight counterparts. It probably has something to do with the fact that most gays, be it male or female, seem to switch back and forth...from male to female...they're not exclusive to same sex liasons. Not to mention alot of lesbians are artificially insemminated...often through men they know in the gay community. I heard of it often enough to know, as the big concern was always HIV.

I think it's a copout to always blame mother nature for everything. The fact of the matter is...we do what we want...we decide. Plus I think it's pretty arrogant to think we can outsmart or beat mother nature, in the first place. Mother nature was here long before us...and will be long after we're gone.

Massive advances in medicine and sanitation, eh? Then explain how people lived to ripe old ages of 800 years or more...some 2000 years ago or so. I think we moderates just finally learned we have no choice but to clean up after ourselves...and now are scrambling for ways to save ourselves. A pitful lot, we are.

I'd be careful about those college text books...they do get outdated, you know. And besides...you can't believe everything you read...some of those books are written by people just like you and me. Go figure.

Originally posted by Wyzewun

Originally posted by GrndLkNatv
as the population of the world goes past the even point. Scientists have seen this exact same thing happen in large colonies of mice, rats, dogs, etc. It's natures way of population control and since the world is getting over populated you should expect to see this among other things happening.

Okay...I'll bite...what exactly is the "even point"?

Sorry, I forgot...you never did address that question. So what is the "even point"? I can do a Google search on it, but I'd rather get the info from the direct source.

If the number is truely riseing, I am going to half to guess it is sociological. If there are people out there that do know this field, maby they could let us know if this is true. Or in laymens terms, I just think it is society, and the battle of the sexes.

People never lived to 800 years old, and certainly not 2000 years ago. But anyways, yes, I agree with the above poster and I think that homosexuality is caused by sociology. I believe this for the same reason that I believe other disorders are on the rise, because of conflicts and stresses that society creates inside a persons brain. Its not limited to that, but I think thats a major factor.

Originally posted by Alec Eiffel
People never lived to 800 years old, and certainly not 2000 years ago. quote]

Is that so? Doesn't the Bible state that people used to live for hundreds of years before dying...during the times of Christ? It's amazing how quickly historical facts change in this day and age.

Originally posted by Wyzewun
Is that so? Doesn't the Bible state that people used to live for hundreds of years before dying...during the times of Christ? It's amazing how quickly historical facts change in this day and age.

It's amazing how you can take what amounts to a really long, boring version of an Aesop's fable and imply that it could be used as a history textbook or something in schools.

I'm glad I refrained from replying earlier to your posts -- I thought they were a little questionable, but couldn't quite put my finger on it. However, your subsequent dissertation on biblical references show me what agenda you have, and that explains it

I came to this thread late- but here's my view:

At my school, being a "lesbian" or being "bi" was a HUGE trend. It's the cool thing to do.

However this year, all those lesbians are now skateboarders or musicians, or they dye theyre hair with blue streaks.

Basically, there are some genuiene, but most of them are just going with the fad.

Originally posted by W_HAMILTON

It's amazing how you can take what amounts to a really long, boring version of an Aesop's fable and imply that it could be used as a history textbook or something in schools.

I'm glad I refrained from replying earlier to your posts -- I thought they were a little questionable, but couldn't quite put my finger on it. However, your subsequent dissertation on biblical references show me what agenda you have, and that explains it

So sorry to disappoint you, but my so-called "subsequent dissertation on biblical references" was in reply to another poster who seemed confident that I was mistaken about people having lived for hundreds of years, which I found surprising since a number of his posts indicate he's somewhat prolific in religous/biblical facts. There's a thread on the very topic of longevity in biblical times being discussed on ATS now.

Perhaps you should have refrained from replying to my posts a little longer. Eventually you'd have found out that I'm not a religious person, don't believe that the bible is the gospel truth...and have no theological agenda whatsoever. Therefore, your suspicions about me are groundless and there's nothing to explain.

Btw...the image in my avatar is a ghost...not the holy ghost...in case you were mistaken about that, also.

Is that so? Doesn't the Bible state that people used to live for hundreds of years before dying...during the times of Christ? It's amazing how quickly historical facts change in this day and age.

It states that people lived to the age of hundreds of years before the flood, which was much earlier than the times of Christ. You can believe the bible if you want. Either way, people dont live to be 800 years old.