Bisexuality on the rise, says new U.S. survey

Discussion in 'LGBT News and Events' started by OckyDub, Jan 8, 2016.

  1. OckyDub

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    (CNN)A growing number of women and men say they are bisexual, according to the latest national survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    As awareness about bisexuality has grown over the years, it could be getting easier for people to label themselves as bisexual, said Debby Herbenick, associate professor at Indiana University and author of the book "Sex Made Easy," who was not involved in the study.

    Researchers asked more than 9,000 people in the United States age 18 to 44 about the types of sexual experiences they have had, whether they are attracted to the same or opposite sex and whether they identify as being straight, gay/lesbian or bisexual. Interviews were conducted between 2011 and 2013 as part of the CDC's National Survey of Family Growth.

    Many of the findings about sexual behavior, attraction and orientation were similar between the current survey and the previous (2006-2010) family growth survey. Similar to previous surveys the group conducted, 1.3% of women and 1.9% of men said they were homosexual.

    However a few trends stood out. More women reported having had sexual contact with other women: 17.4% in the current survey compared with 14.2% in the 2006-2010 survey. And higher numbers of both women and men identified as bisexual, 5.5% of women and 2% of men, compared with 3.9% and 1.2% respectively in the last survey.

    "It's certainly not a new idea that women and men may be attracted to more than gender," Herbenick said. "But that doesn't mean it's an easy orientation to adopt. Women and men who self-identify as bisexual experience stigma not just from heterosexuals but also homosexuals," she said.

    The finding that women were more likely than men to say they were bisexual is consistent with what previous studies have found, said Casey E. Copen, demographer at the CDC National Center for Health Statistics and lead author of the study, which was published on Thursday.

    Women were also more likely than men to report having same-sex sexual contact. Compared with 17.4% of women, only 6.2% of men said they had ever had this activity.

    However, as Copen noted, the survey could have given women more opportunity than men to report same-sex sexual contact. For example, women were asked if they have engaged in oral sex or any other sexual experience with another woman, whereas men were asked specifically whether they have engaged in oral or anal sex with another man.

    The wording of questions in the survey could also be part of the reason for the low number of men who said they were gay, Copen said. Other surveys have found that closer to 4% to 6% say they are gay, a higher proportion than the 1.9% in the current survey.

    Among women who reported being lesbian, the rate of 1.3% is consistent with other surveys. Over the last several decades, fewer women have been saying they are lesbian and more report being bisexual, similar to what the current study found, Herbenick said.

    There is high correspondence between how survey participants identified themselves -- whether straight, gay/lesbian or bisexual -- and the sexual attractions and behaviors they reported, Copen said. For example, among those who labeled themselves heterosexual, 12.6% of women and 2.8% of men had had sexual contact with the same sex.

    "You do expect some differences, because for some people ... they may or may not have had the experiences they're contemplating, [especially] if they're younger," Copen said.

    The survey found some differences between women of different racial groups. Only 11.2% of Hispanic women have engaged in same-sex sexual contact compared with 19.6% of white women and 19.4% of black women.

    The next survey, covering 2014 and 2015, will be coming out this fall, Copen said. These surveys are important to allow researchers "to separate out and study these categories, like lesbian and bisexual women and gay and bisexual men, because they all have different health outcomes and different levels of access to health care," she said.

    Understanding trends in sexual behavior and orientation can help health groups and programs reach at-risk populations, Herbenick said. For example, putting information about sexually transmitted infections in a gay bar may only reach men who identify as being gay, and miss men who have sex with men but do not identify as being gay.

    "There are real effects when you find out what people are doing sexually that can translate into safer sex, sex education, (and) informing doctors and nurses (about) what people are doing so they can talk with them in more informed and compassionate ways," Herbenick said.
     
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  2. Nigerian Prince

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    With men, the results shown here can be biased because of self-reporting bias that can be introduced during the research process. I did a research poster on black & Latino (suspected or confirmed) MSM for my graduate school program and most of the time when it came to black and Latino men admitting to having sexual contact with the same sex, they would not always be honest.
     
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  3. OckyDub

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    :ufdup:
     
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  4. redsai84

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    good post man its not surprising to me more women claim t be bi. the media we absorb be it music or tv puts that image out there that 2 chicks are the ultimate goal to get "my girl got a girlfriend" not so easy when it comes to dudes
     
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  5. Dante

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    I'm not liking that this information is coming from the CDC. I'm pretty sure that this data is being used to help the notion that if you are non-heterosexual, you have a higher chance of getting HIV and is appeasing the American Red Cross.
     
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  6. Cyrus-Brooks

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    I think the headline is misleading. Even bordering on "click bait." Bisexuality isn't on the rise more people just feel comfortable being honest about it. From what I've read women's sexuality is more "malleable" than men. This reminds me of a joke I've heard a comedian say, "every woman is a couple or margaritas or bad relationship away from a girl on girl adventure."
     
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  7. alton

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    Pretty much. Another reason religious zealots irritate me f#$k outta me when they say homosexuality is "On the rise". No it's not. I think Ocky mentioned this too in a past PodCast, I don't believe there is any greater number of homosexual/ Bisexual people on this planet than it's ever been. Muhf@#kaz are just sayin f#$k the bullsh!t and living their lives how they want, and muhf@#kaz can't take it. For all we know, there could be the exact same amount of Straight, Gay, Bi people on this planet, that without the influence of some religious teachings, could've possible maintained some kind of "perpetual balance" of the world's population. LOL
     
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  8. scooter

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    Personally I think some men who do claim bisexuality are low key gay, but don't want admit it to the themselves or the world around them because of hegemonic masculinity. Hence, being gay is still a taboo subject and looked down upon at times in the black community, if one claims bi-sexuality they can still say they attraction to girls makes them more hyper-masculine in a sense.
     
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  9. Nigerian Prince

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    Well said. People say things like "black men are turning gay" when it actuality they are just being more open about it.
     
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  10. Cyrus-Brooks

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    It's also ironic too that in the black community if a dude says he's bisexual he's still regarded as a "faggot." To most black people there is no difference between bisexual men and gay men.
     
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  11. Jaa

    Jaa
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    It's not just a black thing. I've heard women and gay men of all colors express a lack of belief in bisexuality, or at least a reluctance to date them, though the feeling may seem a bit more prevalent in the black community.
     
    #11 Jaa, Jan 8, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2016
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  12. NickAuzenneNOLA

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    These numbers are interesting but I have to agree with @African King and say minority men would rarely if ever self report same gender loving feelings least of all tons govt agency unless they are out and accepting of themselves. I believe the numbers may be more on par with the women's numbers but women are more inpowered in their sexual identifiers than men are.
     
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