# What's the straightest country?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 3, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061 "2011-09-03T15:09:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/1 "2011-09-03T15:09:56Z")
[Inspired by this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=621956)
I’m a little bit afraid to Google my query, but I’m curious what country has the highest reported percentage of non-homosexual/non-bisexual inhabitants.
I imagine it would be pretty hard to gather truly accurate data, since there are so many places where people would be afraid to admit to their sexual orientation, even in an anonymous survey. And I don’t think orientation is usually asked about on a census (though it may report prevalence of different-sex couples living together, which might be a helpful metric - again though only in countries that tolerate alternatives to it).
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### Author:  [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/2 "2011-09-03T15:18:51Z")
Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Iran and Uganda?
Like you said, it’s basically impossible to gather accurate data. I’m sure the countries I mentioned have the highest rates of supposed-heterosexuals, though.
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### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/3 "2011-09-03T16:15:57Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#):
>
> Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Iran and Uganda?
Now that’s funny, because Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan were both offered up as the _gayest_ countries by two different posters in that other thread.
> [@](#):
>
> Like you said, it’s basically impossible to gather accurate data.
Yeah. Because of that, I wondered in the other thread if GQ was the wrong forum for this question, but I guess the mods didn’t agree.
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### Author:  [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/4 "2011-09-03T16:19:28Z")
> [@voltaire](#):
>
> Now that’s funny, because Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan were both offered up as the _gayest_ countries by two different posters in that other thread.
I guess Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan are really bi-curious.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/5 "2011-09-03T16:23:36Z")
Didn’t Ahmadenijad say there were no homosexuals in Iran? That settles it!
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/6 "2011-09-03T16:47:34Z")
I was going to suggest Chile, but I completely misunderstood the thread title. Never mind.
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### Author:  [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/7 "2011-09-03T19:24:59Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Didn’t Ahmadenijad say there were no homosexuals in Iran? That settles it!
That was my answer on reading the title.
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### Author:  [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/8 "2011-09-03T19:28:52Z")
Congo, Guinnea and Liberia have the highest birth rates in the world so there is a lot of straight sex going on in those places, does that make them more straight?
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/9 "2011-09-04T00:43:07Z")
> [@Smeghead](#):
>
> I was going to suggest Chile, but I completely misunderstood the thread title. Never mind.
It’s not very straight if you consider the 3rd dimension.
And I don’t know if the Jamaican government claims anything like this. Or that random anti-homosexual (err… anti-batty boy) types claim that none exist, just rather that they should be persecuted :rolleyes:.
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### Author:  [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/10 "2011-09-04T00:45:19Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#):
>
> Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Iran and Uganda?
>
> Like you said, it’s basically impossible to gather accurate data. I’m sure the countries I mentioned have the highest rates of supposed-heterosexuals, though.
Zimbabwe and Jamaica are good suggestions, the others have too much restrictions on hetrosexual activity and thus have lots of behind-doors M4M W4W sex.
I think for a country to be very hetrosexual it needs the following.
[ul]
[li]No strong social, religious or legal restrictions on hetrosexual dating or sex.[/li][li]Widespread homophobia.[/li][li]Unseperated genders[/li][/ul]
Jamaica has all three, so it’s a very good candidate for the straightest country.
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### Author:  [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/11 "2011-09-04T00:51:49Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Didn’t Ahmadenijad say there were no homosexuals in Iran? That settles it!
Actually, I believe Iran is the least gay Sharia-state. Many people date before marriage, and women aren’t repressed or chattelised.
> [@boytyperanma](#):
>
> Congo, Guinnea and Liberia have the highest birth rates in the world so there is a lot of straight sex going on in those places, does that make them more straight?
This doesn’t mean the men don’t experiment with other men. Sometimes, when cultural norms go against premarital or non-reproductive sex, M4M sex is a preferable alternative.
I use M4M sex, as it is a lot more complex identity-wise than sexual orientation in the West.
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### Author:  [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/12 "2011-09-04T01:09:52Z")
When I visited China I was told homosexuality was non-existent there. That was some years ago; things may have changed.
Forgot to say that if homosexuality doesn’t exist in China, it must be the country with the largest straight population.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/13 "2011-09-04T01:27:01Z")
Vatican City. Or are they the gayest? I never can keep that straight. Heh.
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### Author:  [@oliversarmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oliversarmy)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/14 "2011-09-04T02:15:23Z")
This is a strange question to me. What does a country’s boundaries have to do with gayness.
Plenty of countries outlaw homosexuality outright.
From a statistical standpoint, assuming that homosexuality is a constant in an entire population, wouldn’t all countries be gay in about the same rate?
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### Author:  [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/15 "2011-09-04T02:42:15Z")
> [@LouisB](#):
>
> When I visited China I was told homosexuality was non-existent there. That was some years ago; things may have changed.
>
> Forgot to say that if homosexuality doesn’t exist in China, it must be the country with the largest straight population.
Well, due to it’s huge population, it probably has the most straights, and the most gays.
Seriously though, many monosexual gay men end up marrying women to keep up apperences. Though I know several openly non-straight Chinese
> [@Siam\_Sam](#):
>
> Vatican City. Or are they the gayest? I never can keep that straight. Heh.
I really don’t want to know :eek:
> [@oliversarmy](#):
>
> From a statistical standpoint, assuming that homosexuality is a constant in an entire population, wouldn’t all countries be gay in about the same rate?
That’s only assuming sexual orientation is 100% genetic.
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### Author:  [@oliversarmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oliversarmy)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/16 "2011-09-04T03:57:50Z")
“That’s only assuming sexual orientation is 100% genetic.”
That’s an interesting response. Thanks.
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### Author:  [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/17 "2011-09-04T08:06:16Z")
I was going for a little bit of sarcasm in my earlier comment re China. I guess I missed by several miles.
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### Author:  [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/18 "2011-09-04T11:19:28Z")
> [@LouisB](#):
>
> I was going for a little bit of sarcasm in my earlier comment re China. I guess I missed by several miles.
I missed it, only because I’ve encountered devoutly-Christian Chinese who ‘blamed’ homosexuality on Western influence. :dubious:
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### Author:  [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/19 "2011-09-04T11:41:51Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#):
>
> I missed it, only because I’ve encountered devoutly-Christian Chinese who ‘blamed’ homosexuality on Western influence. :dubious:
In reference to China and their “momma don’t allow no gay folks here” BS, it always struck me as being extremely similar to the three monkeys: Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil mindset; it was as if it was true because they said it was. I was also told by several Chinese folk that the Great Wall was visible from orbit, it being the largest man-made object and all. I guess a totalitarian government can say what it wants to say; if you don’t believe, you’d best keep it to yourself. It’s all a very small point anyway, though.
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### Author:  [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2011, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straightest-country/595061/20 "2011-09-04T12:25:28Z")
> [@oliversarmy](#):
>
> This is a strange question to me. What does a country’s boundaries have to do with gayness.
>
> Plenty of countries outlaw homosexuality outright.
>
> From a statistical standpoint, assuming that homosexuality is a constant in an entire population, wouldn’t all countries be gay in about the same rate?
Could you - if it’s possible - restate your third paragraph in a form that doesn’t beg the question?
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