NPR segment says 3.3% of Americans are gay

You can listen to the segment at the NPR link below. Neda Ulaby did a report on gay representation in the media. At the end she said 4.4% of all TV characters are gay, while only 3.3% of the population is gay. Her source for the 3.3% figure? The Republican Gallup organization. Does anybody honestly believe that onlt 3.3% of us are gay???

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/02/168444037/how-are-gays-being-represented-culturally

Put up or shut up; i.e., out of the closets and into the streets.
That number seems a bit high. Most reputable sources put the number between 2-3%.
Many closet cases will never admit it so it's impossible to tell.
I think it's definitely higher, 7%?
In my country it's more like 1 %. This country's biggest gay website has members that account for slightly less than 1 % of the population.
R2 and R5 obviously never heard of the closet.
Heterosexual Looking for Sizemeat - 49 Date: 2012-12-30, 4:35PM EST We are 100% heterosexual and love the lady ham. Looking for similar masculine men about to parole. Those who have never been turned out move to the front of the line. Especially looking for tattoed and pierced cagemeat. Can provide accomodation. I am 5'7, 270 lbs, 45 inch bosom, 39 inch waist, all-man, masculine. I enjoy a wide variety of music from the periods 1976-1981.
Str8 Group 4 Bottom - 29 (Midtown East) Date: 2012-12-30, 6:31PM EST A GROUP OF STR8 BUDDIES ARE LOOKING FOR A BOTTOM BOY TO PLOW NEED TO BE SMOOTH INSHAPE AND EAGER WE'RE ALL D & D FREE WE NEED A HOT HOLE TO UNLOAD IN SO U HAVE TO BE INTO HAVING YOURE HOLE FLOODED WITH CUM SPIT JIZZ LOADS U MUST REPLY WITH FACE PIC AND BOD PIC WE HAVE PIC OF ALL THE GUYS
curious for some fun with another discreet jock - 26 (lakeview) Date: 2012-12-28, 7:11PM CST GF out of town until Sunday night, want to use the opp to experiment with another fit masculine guy. have swapped head with a dude before, but that's about the extent of my experience. really open to anything new, but probably not any anal. can host here or travel nearby. discretion a must. open to any age/race, but be in pretty good shape. my pics are attached, so I expect some of you in your response - be willing to exchange face pics before meeting. hit me up guys and give me some ideas for what we can do
100%25%20straight%20heterosexual%20who%20never%20had%20gay%20sex
Two points: 1 They mean exclusively gay or lesbian, and exclusive homosexuality or heterosexuality is rare. 2 This refers to so-called "admitted" gay/lesbian people. Closet-cases aside, there are plenty of reasons not to tell a U.S. Census worker your sexuality. I personally don't want to be on an official government list of queer people, as history had not been kind to people on this lists. And oh yes, I am out professionally and personally.
I think it's a range of 3% to 5% of the population. Where I live closer to the higher number. Cities tend to attract gay people so that would explain it.
LuciferTheLightBringer
At least 10% are gay...anyone should know that. Sometimes I think it's more like 20%.
I think 5% of men are gay. Tack on another 5% of men as occasionally bisexual (leaning straight).
And yet 80% of the internet is gay porn.
Maybe 3.3 % are OPENLY gay....
You know you can google to find the poll. They found 3.4% of adults identified as LBGT (with an additional 4.4% saying they don't know or refused to answer). However breaking it down by age only 1.9% of people 65 or older identified while among 18-29 6.4% identified as LBGT and additional 3.5% said they don't know or refused to answer. If we say the younger generation is more likely to come out it makes sense to believe the figures for my generation are the most accurate to the total population. For what it is worth also the exit polling for the last election found 5% of voters identified as LBGT.
An honest number would be something like 20% And you will never get it because of politics.
R15, thats exactly what Gallup was saying. Exactly who makes up the LGBT community and how this group should be measured is a subject of some debate. Measuring sexual orientation and gender identity can be challenging since these concepts involve complex social and cultural patterns. As a group still subject to social stigma, many of those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender may not be forthcoming about this identity when asked about it in a survey. Therefore, it's likely that some Americans in what is commonly referred to as "the closet" would not be included in the estimates derived from the Gallup interviews.
Thus, the 3.4% estimate can best be represented as adult Americans who publicly identify themselves as part of the LGBT community when asked in a survey context.
Gallup
If they asked, have you ever had an orgasm with a person of the same sex, the number would be much higher.
oh, forgot to add the link to the poll
http%3A//www.gallup.com/poll/158066/special-report-adults-identify-lgbt.aspx
How can you answer Don't Know? I'd say D/K/Refused are clearly closet cases. Other closet cases are lying.
I hate that neda ulaby. Sounds like she wants to burst out laughing all the time. NPR is increasingly right wing. Otherwise, why would they even bother to report something as fact that can't really be proven?
Primarily gay 10% Occasional player 20% About 1/3 of men are in play
3.3% self-identify. If you add up all the closet cases, down-low brothers, "bisexuals" who are really 100% gay, married men with unsuspecting wives, Catholic priests diddling teenagers, repressed lesbian housewives who've never orgasmed, "asexuals", cloistered nuns, same-sex "roommates" over 40, bachelor uncles, spinster aunts, and plain-old "my private life is private" types, yes, it's 10% at least. I think an honest, unvarnished accounting of homosexuality that is based on actual strength and frequency of attractions to either would reveal it to be closet to 25%, not counting the genuinely bisexual. We live in a very fucked up world, still, with some unfortunately fucked up people. It's not as easy for everyone to admit they're gay, accept it, and come out fully. Lots of people grow up with homophobic conditioning around very conservative, backwards people. It'll fuck a person up for life.
I think that only 3 or 4 percent of Americans publicly identify as gay or bisexual. Many people engage in same-sex activities but identify as heterosexual. It is difficult to measure how many people have same-sex inclinations but do not identify as LGB, but there are probably more people like this than are openly LGB. People really are afraid to identify with the label.
I heard the story this morning and noted how sloppy the reporting was. She called Logo a "gay network", which it no longer is, in addition to the way she reported the numbers about gays.
My dad, who was resolutely straight, believed it to be 15%. I agree.
The gay support group at my brother's college was the 10% Club
It might be politically incorrect to say this, but generally the only males who publicly identify as gay are those who display gender-non conforming attributes, ie, non-masculine males. The more masculine a gay or bisexual guy is, the more likely they will remain closeted or in denial for life. Non-masculine guys are assumed to be gay, hence, they are sort of forced by society to acknowledge they are gay. Men are especially cowardly about identifying with anything that is perceived to threaten their masculinity, so most masculine gay and bi dudes will never come out.
If one includes men married to women who desperately trawl for cock, the number goes up to 33% of American adult males.
Too many variables make it difficult to say how many are "gay." What people do: with whom they have sex What they feel: who they're attracted to What they say: how they identify Lots of people have sex with and/or are attracted to the same sex but still identify as straight.
[quote]It might be politically incorrect to say this, but generally the only males who publicly identify as gay are those who display gender-non conforming attributes, ie, non-masculine males. It's not politically incorrect, it's just incorrect.
[quote]It might be politically incorrect to say this, but generally the only males who publicly identify as gay are those who display gender-non conforming attributes, ie, non-masculine males. Not to be politically incorrect, but that's total bullshit and proof that you have few, if any, actual gay friends.
There is some truth to what R30 is saying. Most gay men who don't "pass" have no real choice but to come out as gay, a lot of people can already tell and will start assuming they are gay. It takes bigger balls for a guy who easily passes as straight to come out as gay because no one would assume he was so there is no pressure to do so. However plenty of us still come out, especially among the young generation. Same with bisexual guys, they are less likely to be open about it than say bisexual girls but more and more of them are coming out as well. The idea that it is only feminine types that publicly identify as gay is simple patently false. Being more likely to do so is not the same as the only ones who do so.
I will certainly never identify myself with the silly euphemism "gay". I am a man who just happens to be of a homosexual nature. I am not a "guy" or a "dude" or a "mary" or a "boi" or a "bitch" or a "girlfriend" or a "gay" or a "glbt" or anything other than a man.
r34, until I meet openly gay men who are generally as masculine as closeted bi, gay, and bicurious males I encounter, I will continue to believe that.
[quote] I am a man who just happens to be of a homosexual nature. I am not a "guy" or a "dude" or a "mary" or a "boi" or a "bitch" or a "girlfriend" or a "gay" or a "glbt" or anything other than a man. Who just happens to spend time at a gay website
[quote]My dad, who was resolutely straight, believed it to be 15%. I agree. Who cares what your "resolutely straight" dad thinks? Seriously, is this supposed to impress us? I don't see how some random, "resolutely straight" person's opinion is really relevant here. It's just some another nobody's guesstimate about a topic they have no first-hand knowledge of.
[quote] until I meet openly gay men who are generally as masculine as closeted bi, gay, and bicurious males I encounter, I will continue to believe that. Then get out more
[quote]It takes bigger balls for a guy who easily passes as straight to come out as gay because no one would assume he was so there is no pressure to do so. That's fucking ridiculous. I'm generally assumed to be straight, but I don't think I had it any easier or harder coming out that guys who aren't. [quote]R34, until I meet openly gay men who are generally as masculine as closeted bi, gay, and bicurious males I encounter, I will continue to believe that. In other words, you spend so much time chasing after "straight" dick on Craigslist and whatnot, and consumed by your inner self-loathing, that you haven't had any time to get to know gay men who *aren't* totally fucked up. Makes sense, I guess. (And just as a reminder, though you surely know it: all those "bi" and "bicurious" men you're encountering online or in tea rooms or whatever are 100% total HOMO and in deep denial about it, to the extent that they "act" straight to hide their "shameful" truth.)
[quote]I will certainly never identify myself with the silly euphemism "gay". The term gay is no more a euphemism than the term "man" is. After all, you are just a human being who happens to have a penis, why force the term "man" on yourself? But back to reality, you are a gay man, whether you identify as such or not.
In LA it's more like 45.3%.
R30: 17 y/o, knows no gay people older than 20, can count them on one hand. I'm so masculine I routinely fool other gay people. I've bumped into gay co-workers in gay bars and seen their jaws drop in disbelief. Women hit on me, straight "bros" talk chicks and pussy around me. People just ASSUME. But I'm out and proud and don't care who knows, at 43 I'm too fucking old to give a shit. I know plenty of other gay guys who routinely, if inadvertently, pass for straight. Don't call me straight acting though. I'm not straight and this is not an act. I'm a masculine gay guy who loves cock and the men they're attached to.
I am often melancholy, definately not "gay".
I honestly believe that at least 25% of the population is lesbian or gay. I don't think there are ANY truthful surveys at this point in time. There are still so many closeted people.
"I'm so masculine I routinely fool other gay people." Don't drop bombs, R44.
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[quote]I will certainly never identify myself with the silly euphemism "gay". I am a man who just happens to be of a homosexual nature. I am not a "guy" or a "dude" or a "mary" or a "boi" or a "bitch" or a "girlfriend" or a "gay" or a "glbt" or anything other than a man. Really? Because you sound like a dick to me.
[quote]I honestly believe that at least 25% of the population is lesbian or gay. I honestly believe you've been spending too much time on DL and really NEED TO GET OUT MORE.
No one seems to be addressing the fact that this woman is saying there is too much gay representation on TV given her estimate of how many gay people there are in the population. Would she dare say that there is too much black representation based on percentage of population? I highly doubt it.
R48 Definitely a Dick. I mean he's Richard dick Armitage, the more masculine gay actor in the closet.
Much higher. My entire high school an college career was spent having sex with 'straight' guys. Sometimes only once or twice, sometimes it turned into something more prolonged. Most of them returned to their straight bearings, some had an epiphany and came out eventually. My point being that I was RARELY unsuccessful. A much larger percentage of the population may not identify as gay, but certainly have some kind of inkling.
R52, there's a difference between "horny teens who will fuck anything with an orifice" and bona fide gay men.
That's BULLSHIT! The percentage is much higher.
It is much higher MUCH higher, but it's a small victory over Republican 1% propaganda.
NPR is much more anti-gay now than it used to be. And whenever they discuss gay issues, they NEVER invite an actual gay person to be on the show to discuss the topic. Diane Rehm's show has been guilty of this many times, and ill-informed straight people on her show have given inaccurate information when discussing marriage equality. NPR studios sit perched right by a zillion gay professionals so it's not like it would be hard for them to find a GAY expert to discuss gay issues. Try telling them about their failures in this regard and they blow a gasket. But it's true. They are no better than FOX News at covering gay issues!!! And that is sad.
Do you remember that thread where we calculated the percentage of gay men across the whole Earth? With 3%, the population of gay men is 105 million. With 5%, the population of gay men is 175 million, and with 10% the population of gay men is 350 million. Of course, all those figures include babies (future gays) and old men, but you can take a percentage of each figure, and arrive at a list of all of Earth's gay men between 18 and 54.
Uatu%20the%20Watcher
R57, yeah but most of them live in China and India, a true shitholes where they will never be allowed to be gay.
urf
More like 10% than 3%. I'd even bet that the 25% figure is more accurate that somebody upthread bandied.
Latest numbers actually have it in the 5-6% range. And that's people who are actually out, and then actually willing to admit they are gay in a survey. So the real number is actually in the 8-12% range, which is pretty much what Kinsey reported. Of course, that just accounts for men who are actually gay/bisexual/pansexual/whatever. The number increases quite a bit more when guys that are predominantly straight are included. Based on a study done in I believe 2008 or 2009, around 20% of men admitted having a same-sex experience in the past year.
Francis
r61, can you cite the study you report?
The gallup poll has a +/- usually of 5%. So, by their "research" it is possible that -1.7% of the population is gay. Please.
self-report = 3% truth about closet-cases = 9-12%
So r57 that is just men? When they say gay they are talking about just men and not using gay to mean men and women? If so what is the percentage of women?
This was the station that gave a good hour of news time to a member of the AFA who stated that children from gay (therefore he assumed serial-monogamous) households had a bazillion times more chances of being raped/molested as those from monogamous households. He extrapolated from straight Mormon polygamous households to make this leap of logic and only one person questioned his study. The last time this shit came up, comedian Kate Clinton stated that only 3% of Americans feel comfortable revealing they are gay to scientists who were German.
exactly.
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I've never listened to NPR, but my boss listens to it all day long. I've heard it leans to the left. Is this true? I'm pretty sure he's liberal but I was just wondering if there tends to be a bias.
In terms of their news reporting most of the people who work at NPR are naturally liberals, and somtimes you can tell, but they do the CNN thing and try to force themselves to be "balanced" in presentation aka: just parroting the talking points from the right and left as if they are both equally valid. There are some programs where you get more analysis and it tends to lean left, but in our politics as Colbert famously said facts tend have have a well-known liberal bias.
NPR leans left but not as far left as MSNBC.
No, OP, those of us who get our info from DL believe that at least 80% of celebs are gay and 75% of noncelebs.
whatevs
NPR used to lean towards fact. Now it leans wright, because of funding fear.
"wright" No.
;
Is a person gay if they don't identify as such, or does the word encompass people who reject the label for themselves yet are same-sex oriented?
R72 I think that 10/15% of the population is gay. IMO, the percentage doubles for actors/celebrities.
It's like 1.5%
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based on what study, r78?
I live in a smallish city in Alabama. I think 3.3 % is a gross overstatement.
R80, even in "3,3%" study only 92,5% of men identified as straight.
I'm totally out in my professional, family and daily life in every way possible, but if some strange pollster--particularly for a Republican org-- called and started asking questions about my sexuality I'd probably get creeped out and end the survey, and I imagine many people would. And that doesn't even take into account the many people who are closeted, semi-closeted, or just more private or skittish than me. Tells you all you need to know about the reliability of such stats imho. [quote]I live in a smallish city in Alabama.I think 3.3 % is a gross overstatement. I guarantee there's a park or rest stop nearby that will make you think it's a gross understatement.
Most dudes who are attracted to males will never identify as gay. Some will say they are bi, but the majority will be repelled by the "gay" label.
[quote]the majority will be repelled by the "gay" label. Is that the new way of saying "too chicken-shit to let the world know who they are"? Interesting. Being gay is what you make of it, not the stereotypes that others heap upon the label. How sad for some people that they're so scared of what others might think. And I'd be willing to bet that these same souls who are too 'brave and independent' for the "gay" label never mention their same-sex attractions to their straight friends in any way. There's a label for that. It's called "closeted."
I do agree R82 that it is interesting the results are never reported as 92.5% of people identified as straight or said they weren't gay/bi. Which is also what the study found. I think around 8-10% of guys are gay or bi. In terms of actors, with the hollywood set it isn't a bad assumption that the percentage of actors who are bi or gay is closer to 15-20%. With musical theater actors it is closer to around 45-55%.