# Same-sex marriage becomes the law of the West. What's the sexual landscape look like in a century? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 25, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364 "2010-01-25T15:24:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364/21 "2010-01-26T01:43:43Z")
Actual ratios might not change much, but I suspect that many of the bisexual people who today simply pass as straight because it’s easier or don’t recognize their bisexuality will come out. Probably fewer gay and lesbian teenagers committing suicide over that too, though those numbers might be small enough to be statistically insignificant. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364/22 "2010-01-26T02:22:18Z")
_And don’t get me started about the Chinese_ What’s wrong with the Chinese? The recent “Mr. Gay China” incident notwithstanding, the Chinese are becoming more and more open where it concerns homosexuality and the position of gays in Chinese society. I don’t know why everyone seems to think China is this rabid gay-hating country where they don’t even admit that homosexuality exists. It’s traditional, but it certainly isn’t homophobic. Or did I just hear a “whoooooosh?” ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364/23 "2010-01-26T02:25:40Z")
> [@not\_alice](#): > > Uh folks - it is not “gay marriage”, it is “same sex marriage”. > > Just because 2 men or 2 women get married to each other, that does not make them gay, nor is it tantamount to an admission of gayness or even bisexuality. It is an economic contract entered into with another person and sanctioned by the State. > > Therefore, the existence of SSM everywhere in the Union can not change the ratio of people’s sexuality, at least not by 2025. Evolution doesn’t work that fast. **not\_alice** , you are correct. I had a moment of laziness and should have instead ussed SSM. Thanks for pointing that out. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364/24 "2010-01-26T03:11:37Z")
Gah. I misvoted. I meant to say Bisexuality increases in prevalence but Straights in general still prevails. I could have actually picked the “Energon guzzler!” Damn. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364/25 "2010-01-26T07:05:25Z")
There might be a slight uptick in the number of Gays and Lesbians - simply because a part of the stigma of being Gay might ease and perhaps a fewer percent will stay in the closet. Otherwise, statistically speaking, I don’t see how this will make an iota of difference. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364/26 "2010-01-26T08:02:34Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Last year, one David Klinghoffer on Belief Net caused a stir when he proclaimed SSM would harm straight women because: if homosexuality was normalized, droves of straight men would ‘go gay’. Since gay was ‘normalized’ and accepted, it would be much easier for straight men to hook up with the gay men for their jollies. Because wooing and romancing straight women would just be too darned much trouble, why bother any more??? This was soundly hooted down on his blog (and also Dan Savage got involved). Just goes to show the fear the fundies have of SSM and the desperate twistings and turnings of their minds in feverishly railing against it…Just thought I would throw this in because it was so bizarre. Carry on. From their warped perspective it makes sense. Consider: 1: Research indicates that homophobes are more likely to themselves be repressed homosexual/bisexuals. In other words, many of these people in order to keep their self image as straight have to believe that straights find their own gender attractive. 2: These are people who think sexuality is a choice. Which means that men could all decide to “go gay”. 3: As a rule, there’s a big overlap between misogynists and homophobes. They don’t like women; so they are thinking to themselves, why would you want to be with those sinful, wicked, nasty women when you could be with men?! ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364/27 "2010-01-26T08:20:47Z")
I voted for proportions of homosexual and bisexual people (of both genders) increasing but remaining a minority – I think I should probably elaborate that I mean “the proportions of _ **openly** _ homosexual people (of both genders) increasing…”; that was what I took the poll to be asking, not whether I thought that allowing SSM would cause more people to “choose\*” homosexuality or bisexuality “in their hearts,” as it were. - Note the scare quotes. This is not a claim that actually making this choice is even possible. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364/28 "2010-01-26T09:22:45Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Last year, one David Klinghoffer on Belief Net caused a stir when he proclaimed SSM would harm straight women because: if homosexuality was normalized, droves of straight men would ‘go gay’. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > 1: In other words, many of these people in order to keep their self image as straight have to believe that straights find their own gender attractive. > > 2: These are people who think sexuality is a choice. Which means that men could all decide to “go gay”. > > 3: As a rule, there’s a big overlap between misogynists and homophobes. Hmmm… less assholes looking to marry women and make said women miserable… less women getting married to “Feed Me, Woman” types… BRING SAME SEX MARRIAGE NOW! _goes off in search of placard-making materials_ ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364/29 "2010-01-26T15:23:35Z")
> [@kidneyfailure](#): > > _And don’t get me started about the Chinese_ > > What’s wrong with the Chinese? The recent “Mr. Gay China” incident notwithstanding, the Chinese are becoming more and more open where it concerns homosexuality and the position of gays in Chinese society. I don’t know why everyone seems to think China is this rabid gay-hating country where they don’t even admit that homosexuality exists. It’s traditional, but it certainly isn’t homophobic. > > Or did I just hear a “whoooooosh?” Remarks in Rhymerian footnotes are frequently wisecracks. That’s one of the two major reasons I and my kith are so hated among the offenderati. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364/30 "2010-01-26T15:25:11Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > I voted for proportions of homosexual and bisexual people (of both genders) increasing but remaining a minority – I think I should probably elaborate that I mean “the proportions of _ **openly** _ homosexual people (of both genders) increasing…”; that was what I took the poll to be asking, not whether I thought that allowing SSM would cause more people to “choose\*” homosexuality or bisexuality “in their hearts,” as it were. > > - Note the scare quotes. This is not a claim that actually making this choice is even possible. You’re right in your impression of what I meant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-sex-marriage-becomes-the-law-of-the-west-whats-the-sexual-landscape-look-like-in-a-century/526364.md?page=1)