Rob Weisskirch wrote: > The other consideration is does it matter how > many people are gay?
It might if gay advocacy groups are basing arguments on possibly inflated estimates of the number of gays in the general population. I�ve certainly heard discussions on the radio that presume that there must be discrimination against gays in some fields because they are (supposedly) under-represented in some activity (on the basis of the �10%� figure taken as given, in large part in the UK because gay advocacy groups have constantly cited this figure as proven fact). Stonewall, the militant gay organisation in the UK, has in the past made estimates, on the basis of the 10% figure, of the number of gays in the House of Commons. They then compare this with the number of openly gay MPs and argue (as is their wont) for the �outing� of others among MPs, going so far as to name names on occasion. This practice would be more dubious than it is already is if their estimate of the number of gays in the Commons is considerably more than is actually the case, because they may be basing it on an erroneous statistical figure. (Their argument contains another fallacy, as do some of the arguments about alleged discrimination in some fields. It presumes that the number of gays with ambitions to be MPs, and who have been successful in achieving their ambitions, is directly proportionate to their numbers in society as a whole. This may or may not be true, but it is not self-evidently so.) Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.human-nature.com/esterson/index.html http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/articleprint.php?num=10 Wed, 24 Mar 2004 10:47:45 -0800 Author: "Rob Weisskirch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: statistics on being gay > I ran into this question a couple of years ago. After hunting down as > many resources as I could, I found no answer. The difficult part about > answering this question is a measurement issue. To ask how many people > are gay presents the question of what you mean by "being gay." Does that > mean participate in homosexual acts? Does kissing count? Does one have > to participate in homosexual acts to orgasm to be considered truly "gay?" > What if someone feels gay but does not act upon it? Kinsey's work was > based on homosexual behavior (see his scale). From his work, he said that > 10% [the magic number] demonstrated homosexual behavior for 3 or more > years, but only 4% considered themselves lifelong homosexuals. What does > this mean? NOTHING. > > Sexuality is not an either/or classification. It is a complex > relationship of desire, attraction, behavior, and identity among many > other areas. Our students would be better served by understanding the > complexity around sexuality, rather that simplistic definitions. > > The other consideration is does it matter how many people are gay? Given > our society's rigidity around sexuality, would more people be gay if > society allowed more permeable boundaries? > > My current favorite piece of GLBT research is (How) does the sexual > orientation of parents matter? Stacey, Judith; Biblarz, Timothy J.; > American Sociological Review, Vol 66(2), Apr 2001. pp. 159-183. > > My 2 cents, > > Rob > Rob Weisskirch, MSW, Ph.D. > Human Development Program > Department of Liberal Studies, Building 15 > 100 Campus Center > California State University, Monterey Bay > Seaside, CA 93955-8001 > (831) 582-5079 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
