|
STATISTICS
|
The following statistics are
from:
GAY AND LESBIAN STATS
EDITED BY BENETT L. SINGER AND DAVID DESCHAMPS
PUBLISHED BY THE NEW PRESS, NY, NY 1994
Politics and Civil
Rights
-
The first openly gay or
lesbian elected official was Kathy Kozachenko, who
was chosen for the Ann Arbor, Michigan, city council in 1974.
-
In 1993 elections, 3
cities--Cincinnati; Lewiston, Maine; and Portsmouth,
New Hampshire-passed antigay measures by margins of 61% to 31%, 70%
to
30~0, and 60% to 400/0, respectively.
-
From November 3, 1992, to
September 30, 1993, at least 132 attempts to
restrict the rights of gay men and lesbians occurred in 41 states
and the
District of Columbia. This activity included statewide ballot
initiatives,
legislative battles, state court decisions, local ordinance,
curriculum
controversies, and attempts at censorship.
Demographics
-
The 7 largest concentrations
of the lesbian and gay population in the USA
are:
-
Manhattan
-
San Francisco
-
Boston/Cambridge
-
Seattle
-
Oakland/Berkeley
-
Washington, D.C.
-
Chicago/Evanston
Of all lesbians and gay men,
45.1% and 52.7% live in urban areas,
respectively, while 33.1% and 31.7% live in the suburbs,
respectively.
The average household income for lesbians in the U.S. is estimated
at
$45,927, while for gay men it was $51,325. In 1990 the average
household
income in the U.S. for all families was $36,520.
Health/Medicine
-
In 1942, the American
Psychiatric Association declared that Homosexuality
is a disease.
-
In 1973, the American
Psychiatric Association removed Homosexuality from
its list of diseases. The next year, 37% of its membership voted to
reclassify homosexuality as a disease; they were not successful.
Family/Relationships
-
In a 1992 study, 55.5% of gay
men and 71.2% of lesbians were in steady
relationships.
-
As of November 1997, all 50
states denied gay men and lesbians the right to
marry.
-
An estimated 6 million to 14
million children have a lesbian or gay parent.
Courts in 11 states have ruled that gay men and lesbians, on the basis
of
their sexual orientation, are unfit to receive custody of their
children.
A review of 9 studies of aspects of personal development--such as
self-concept, moral judgment, and intelligence-revealed no significant
difference between children of lesbians and gay men and children of
heterosexuals.
Violence
-
In the five major U.S. cities
that have professionally staffed agencies
that monitor anti-lesbian and antigay violence--Boston, Chicago,
Minneapolis and St. Paul, New York, and San Francisco-- reports of
anti-gay
and anti-lesbian incidents increased by 172% between 1988 and 1992;
-
In 1988, 697 incidents were
reported
-
In 1990, 949 incidents were
reported
-
In 1992, 1,898 incidents were
reported
The most common perpetrators of
anti-lesbian and anti-gay violence-responsible for 50% of all reported
incidents--are youths ages 21 or under; 94% of the perpetrators are
male. About two-thirds of the perpetrators are unknown to the victims.
89% of all incidents reported to the New York City Anti-Violence
Project in 1992 resulted in no arrest.
Youth
-
As many as 7.2 million Americans
under age 20 are lesbian or gay.
-
45% of gay males and 20% of
lesbians experience physical or verbal assault
in high school; 28% of these young people feel forced to drop out of
school
due to harassment based on sexual orientation.
-
According to Kinsey, 28% of boys
and 17% of girls have one or more same-sex
experiences before age 20.
-
80% of lesbian and gay youths
who took part in a 1987 study reported severe
isolation.
-
Every day, 13 Americans ages 15
to 24 commit suicide. In 1989, suicide was the leading cause of death
among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered youths; 53% of
transsexual youths surveyed in 1981 had attempted suicide. Lesbian and
gay youths account for up to 30% of all completed suicides among
youths.
-
In December 1993, Massachusetts
became the first and only state in the country to outlaw
discrimination against lesbian and gay students in public schools.
Public Opinion, and other stuff
-
In 1965, 82% of men and 58% of
women said that homosexuality represents a
"clear threat" to the American way of life.
-
In 1977, 56% of Americans said
homosexuals should have equal rights in
employment. By 1992, that number had risen to 74%.
-
11% of Americans would object to
having a gay airline pilot.
-
55% of Americans would object to
having a gay elementary school teacher.
-
49% of Americans would object to
having a gay doctor.
-
In 1993, 66.3% of the American
population believed that sexual relations
between two consenting adults of the same sex were always wrong.
-
In a 1993 U.S. News and World
Report poll of 1,000 registered voters, 53%
said they knew someone who is gay of these, 73% supported equal rights
for
gays. 46% said they do not know someone who Is gay or lesbian; of
these, 55
% supported the same rights.
-
Among world religions, Buddhism
is notable in that it does not condemn
homosexuality.
-
The word "homosexual" did not
appear in any translation of the Christian
Bible until 1946. There are words in Greek for same-sex sexual
activities, yet they never
appear in the original text of the New Testament.
-
In 1972 the United Church of
Christ became the first Christian denomination to ordain an openly gay
candidate.
|
