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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

October 16, 1992

Individual, Couple and Group Therapy

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Think about This

by Mike Radice

Are there ten percent of us? Not

Are there really 260,000 gays and lesbians in the Greater Cleveland-Akron area? Well, if you believe that there are ten percent of us, then the answer is yes. However, the often cited 1948 research study by Alfred Kinsey and associates, of the Indiana University Center of Sex Research, has been misunderstood and misquoted for the last 44 years. Lesbian and gay people, grasping for any evidence that we exist in large numbers, and lacking any better percentage on which to cling, have wrongfully embraced and institutionalized the ten percent figure.

So, how many of us really exist?

I went digging into the research on this question as far back as 1920. From the 1920's through August 1992 I found only eight studies attempting to estimate the number of gay and lesbian people. The estimates, prior to Kinsey's work, put us at about two to six percent of the population. It is the two percent figure that is quoted by fundamentalist Christian homophobes.

The opinions of the pre-1948 writings were based on the results of poorly conducted studies and questionably "expert" opinions presented during the waning years of the Victorian era when honest discussions about sex, let alone homosexuality, were largely forbidden. Given the poor quality of the early research, and the censorship of the period, the two to six percent figures most likely underestimated the size of our community.

My computer search revealed only two published studies, after Kinsey's work, that attempted to estimate the percentage of the population that is gay and lesbian. One attempted to estimate the number of lesbians and gays among the hearing impaired community, and the other to measure the number of lesbians in prison. After searching three libraries, I couldn't find the article focusing on the hearing impaired community, and the prison study was very poorly conducted, and won't be mentioned here.

The only "quality" studies estimating the size of our community have been Kinsey's. Kinsey headed two large (and bold) studies on the sexual behavior of Americans. The first, conducted in 1948, reported on the results of a nation-wide survey of 12,214 white men. In 1952, Kinsey headed a similar study of 5,940 black and white women. Questions on masturbation, childhood sexual practices, and orgasm frequencies were among the many questions. Kinsey's studies have been considered to be two of the most extensive studies of sexual behavior in this century.

Kinsey's work indicated that 27 percent of the women questioned, between the ages of 16 and middle age, reported having had homosexual activity leading to arousal or orgasm. 37 percent of the men reported the same. Both studies reported that 13 percent of all respondents reported having had more homosexual contact than heterosexual, and 60 percent of the men reported having had homosexual contact during their preadolescent years. So much for "ten percent.'

99

So, where did the often quoted ten percent figure come from? The estimate was the percent of male subjects who had "more or less" exclusively homosexual contact.

What figure should we now believe? 10 percent? 13 percent? 37 percent? 60 percent? To help determine a more accurate percentage, the survey results need to be interpreted within their historical context. For those of my readers under 30, the era

of the Kinsey studies was a time when sodomy was a crime in many states and lesbian and gay relationships were--how can I put it--viewed as undesirable by the majority of the "mainstream" population. To camouflage their homosexuality many gays and lesbians would marry (and have sex with) the opposite sex. Traditional marriage, accompanied by children, was considered to be proof positive that they were "mainstream." Hiding in a traditional family also served to reduce or eliminate their risk of becoming victims of psychological and physical homophobic violence. Consequently, many gay and lesbian people had numerous "straight" sexual experiences to hide their identity. Many also resisted their natural attractions by refusing to engage in or minimizing their same-gender sexual activity. Consequently, many of the research respondents who reported having either minimal or zero homosexual experiences may have been closeted gays and lesbians.

Considering these circumstances I believe that the actual percentage of lesbians and gays is considerably higher than the ten to 13 percent estimated by Kinsey. I believe that there are, at minimum, about 20 to 25 percent of us. Take a look at the facts:

13 percent of the female and male respondents reported having predominantly homosexual experiences.

An additional 12 percent of the men, and seven percent of the women, reported having had more than incidental homosexual contact (bringing the percentage up to 20 to 25 percent).

● An additional 35 percent of the men, who led heterosexual lives, reported having had at least one homosexual experience between preadolescence and adulthood.

It is safe to assume that a chunk of the men and women who reported having "more than incidental homosexual contact" may have been bisexuals, thus pulling some of these people out of my 20 to 25 percent estimate. However, it is also safe to assume that some of the allegedly heterosexual adult men who had "homosexual preadolescent experiences" may have actually been gay youths. Due to social pressures and internalized homophobia these youths may have chosen to deny who they were by leading "straight" lives, thus adding some people back into my estimate.

What a relief it is to know that there are so many people out there who are like me. However, given the level of "outness" of northeast Ohio lesbians and gays, one would assume that the fundamentalist Christians are right when they advocate that we are only two percent of the population. Given my estimate, there are actually 520,000 to 650,000 northeast Ohio gays and lesbians. If this is the case, then why did only 600 show up for the Pride march in June?

If all of the adult and adolescent lesbians and gays came out tomorrow, the politicians would energetically court us, the Center would have to buy a downtown skyscraper to house their programs, the Chronicle would swim in advertising dollars, our homophobic enemies would run for cover, and potential boyfriends would be lining up at my door. So, if you make the down payment on the skyscraper, I'll provide the coffee while you wait in line at my place.

Next issue: The psychological challenges facing lesbian and gay victims of hate crimes.

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