# Are gay men more numerous than lesbians? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722 "2007-04-04T16:14:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/21 "2007-04-05T20:17:54Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] For some reason I now have an image of a woman dressed in all leather with spike heels on, brandishing a whip at the toaster oven. [/QUOTE] I said, **darker**!! \* craaack!\* ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/22 "2007-04-05T22:41:10Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] It has, however, been scientifically proven that delivering pizza will get you, in the words of behavioral psychologist Dr. Dong Hang Lo, “more ass than a toilet seat.” [/QUOTE] As a soon-to-be former pizza deliveryman, I can call that myth “BUSTED”. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/23 "2007-04-05T23:26:06Z")
[QUOTE=AWB] As a soon-to-be former pizza deliveryman, I can call that myth “BUSTED”. [/QUOTE] Anectdotal evidence is unscientific. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/24 "2007-04-06T01:09:18Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] The joke, from the coming out episode of “Ellen,” is not that the recruiter gets a toaster. The joke is that the recruiter gets a toaster _oven_. [/QUOTE] Well, My Guy bought me a wonderful microwave/convection oven. And yes, I had to earn it. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/25 "2007-04-06T01:21:25Z")
[QUOTE=kimera] While 9% of men reported that they found the idea of having sex with another man appealing, … only 2% had done so in the past year. [/QUOTE] If that’s the criterion, I’m going to be in deep trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/26 "2007-04-06T02:23:24Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] If that’s the criterion, I’m going to be in deep trouble. [/QUOTE] Which is another problem with those kind of surveys. It relies on people having sex on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/27 "2007-04-06T07:24:43Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] Which is another problem with those kind of surveys. It relies on people having sex on a regular basis. [/QUOTE] And telling the truth. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/28 "2007-04-06T21:43:33Z")
[QUOTE=rivulus] Another thing just to toss into the ring: women who simply think (for decades sometimes) that they have very little sexual drive (having only had sex with men, and not really enjoyed it but never questioned the situation due to societal expectations about female sexuality) – until they have a sexual encounter with a woman and realize that, yes indeed, they do have a sex drive after all. This sometimes occurs later in life. Up to that point, the women have identified as straight. This might mask numbers of women who are attracted to women, but for whom it never occurred to identify as anything other than straight. I don’t know of any studies of this phenomenon. But the anecdotal evidence suggests that it ought to be investigated. [/QUOTE] Anecdotal evidence being recent films you’ve seen? Could I make a guess that you’re willing to volunteer for INVESTIGATOR? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/29 "2007-04-08T00:18:17Z")
[QUOTE=kimera] While 9% of men reported that they found the idea of having sex with another man appealing, only 5% had done so since the age of 18 and only 2% had done so in the past year. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but these are only the guys who find the “idea” appealing. And what does “done so” refer to . . . the “idea” or the sex? And what about all the straight guys who find the “idea” of lesbian sex appealing? ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/30 "2007-04-08T17:56:37Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] And what about all the straight guys who find the “idea” of lesbian sex appealing? [/QUOTE] As your post subtly suggests, they’re most likely lesbians, themselves. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/31 "2007-04-08T18:57:01Z")
[QUOTE=CC] As your post subtly suggests, they’re most likely lesbians, themselves. [/QUOTE] …trapped in a man’s body, natch. ---
**Author:** ![Sequent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Sequent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sequent)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/32 "2007-04-08T21:51:27Z")
[Looking to nature…](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Human_Animal_Sexuality#Seahorses) > [@](#): > > Scientists at 15 aquariums studied 90 seahorses of 3 species. Of 3168 sexual encounters, 37% were same sex acts. Flirting was common (up to 25 potential partners a day of both genders); only one species (the British Spiny Seahorse) included faithful representatives, and for these 5 of 17 were faithful, 12 were not. Bisexuality was widespread and considered “both a great surprise and a shock”, with big bellied seahorses of both genders not showing partner preference. 1986 contacts were male-female, 836 were female-female and 346 were male-male. Mixed bag, from the looks of it. There are lots of studies that talk about specific homosexuality in male animals, but also more than a few that talk about females. I guess one could argue that a male homosexual act might make a more unmistakable impression upon an observer. Then again, one could also argue that there are species where the males have been, well, almost entirely discontinued, which might skew the numbers. It seems, as is often the case in nature, diversity is the rule. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/33 "2007-04-08T22:38:38Z")
[QUOTE=Sequent] [Looking to nature…](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Human_Animal_Sexuality#Seahorses) [/QUOTE] In a species where the males bear the young, a certain level of gender-identity confusion is only to be expected. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722/34 "2007-04-09T02:30:28Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] The joke, from the coming out episode of “Ellen,” is not that the recruiter gets a toaster. The joke is that the recruiter gets a toaster _oven_. [/QUOTE] Yup. And it’s not on a one for one basis either. Susan say’s, “Damn just one \*\*more \*\*and I would have gotten that toaster oven.” Headquarters can’t be handing out toaster ovens willy-nilly. You have to prove your commitment to the cause. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-gay-men-more-numerous-than-lesbians/398722.md?page=1)