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Sexual orientation is defined by emotional, romantic, affectionate, or sexual attraction to others. That attraction may be for members of the opposite sex, same sex, or both sexes. When Alfred Kinsey published his research on human sexual behavior in the 1940's, he reported that 4% of men and 2% of women identified as exclusively homosexual throughout their lives, and that 10% of men were exclusively homosexual during some 3 year period of their lives. Kinsey’s report that about 4% of men and 2% of women identified as homosexual appears to be accurate. More recent research studies have consistently found that about 2-3% men and 1-2% of women identify as homosexual. A study from University of Chicago found 2.8% of men and 1.4% of women identified as gay. However, the research also found that 7.7% of the men and 7.5% of the women reported same sex desire; and that 7.1% of the men and 3.8% of the women reported same-sex sexual behavior. Though 2.8% of men and 1.4% of women whom identify as gay may seem insignificant, this represents more than 3 million adults over the age 20 in the U.S., and approximately 52 million men and 26 million women worldwide. It is clear from the magnitude of these numbers that there is no one “homosexual lifestyle”. This fact is supported by findings indicating that there may be more than one kind of homo-sexuality, each with varying degrees of genetic influence. Neither the American Psychological Association, nor the American Psychiatric Association, view homosexuality as a mental illness. As a result of his findings about modern human sexual behavior Kinsey suggested that rather than thinking about only two kinds of sexual orientation, human sexual attraction would be better conceptualized as a continuum. Much of the research on sexual orientation supports the concept that a gay orientation is a natural variation that is inborn and not pathological. Being gay is not a choice; what to do about a gay identity is a big decision. Studies of the effectiveness of “reparative therapy” to cure homosexuality fail to find evidence of the ability to change a persons sexual orientation. Though researchers long ago disproved the belief that homosexual men were more psychologically disturbed than heterosexual men, a gay identity can be associated with emotional difficulties. This psychological distress is mostly the result of internalized conflicts about one’s true feelings and desires, and society’s expectations. There is no evidence to support the idea that homosexuality is caused by bad parenting, dysfunctional families or sexual traumas. Same sex contact does not cause homosexuality; in fact, same sex sexual experimentation in childhood is not uncommon and most children who engage in this behavior are heterosexual as adults. Lastly, homosexuality is a sexual orientation (not to be confused with a gender identification): gay men do not want to be women and lesbians do not want to be men. |
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