LGBT News NYT article - "How Many American Men Are Gay?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/o...american-men-are-gay.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

author compared facebook status, google search data, and surveys

to summarize:
5% of men consistently search for gay porn
2.5% are open on facebook and 3.6% on surveys
1% are open in conservative areas and these areas have the most concern by wives that their husbands are gay AND the most ads for casual hookups
"For every openly gay high school student in MS, there are 3 searches for "Is my husband gay?"' (5:2 ratio in more tolerant rhode island)

Conclusion: About 50% of gay men nationwide are closeted to some extent and up to 80% in the deep south. Because this gap holds true for high school students, it cannot be explained only by an exodus to more tolerant areas. This data also suggests that homophobia leads to sham marriages. In short, bigotry helps no one.

One in four have been lying on anonymous surveys or are in deep denial.

"There is, in other words, a huge amount of secret suffering in the United States that can be directly attributed to intolerance of homosexuality."

Sorry if this is depressing, but the good news is this confirms that as tolerance as goes up, fewer will live in fear. Even 50% being openly gay is unfathomable a couple decades ago.

At the same time, it's frustrating to see that only 1% of HS students are out. I get that many are confused at that age, but i thought this generation was more tolerant.

 

Sorry i got the maths wrong...should read 2% open on facebook - 60% closeted vs 85% deep south

Exam week frying my brain

 

I think another takeaway is it's pretty undeniable that living openly is lagging behind changing attitudes - ex: 40% are closeted in CA despite a majority supports gay rights.

Possibly it only takes a few well-placed homophobes to scare someone into the closet. Possibly some are suffering needlessly. It's hard to say.