NARTH has a nice redux of a recent article from the primary journal Sexuality and Disability. The original article, written by a researcher from the Department of Neurology at University of Illinois Medical Center, was entitled A General Review of Recent Reports on Homosexuality and Lesbianism. I’ve summarized the redux below (a summary of a summary ;).
The short but informative redux includes:
- Etiology – some homosexuality may be rooted in sexual abuse, but other genetic and social factors are indicated
- Prevalence – better numbers indicate that male homosexuality is about 3-5% of the population, and 2-4% for lesbianism
- Related diseases – gays have a much higher incidence of HIV
(75% in the 1980’s, 61% now), as well as many other diseases including
syphilis, genito-urinary infections, anal carcinomas in men, and
bacterial vaginosis, cerebral vascular disease, polycystic ovaries, and
androgehypernism in lesbians. - Drug and alcohol use – As a subgroup, 50% of gays admit to illicit drug use. Lesbians spent
more time in bars and drank more alcohol than heterosexual females. - Unprotected anal sex – The hallmark finding was that 50-60%
of male homosexuals have engaged in unprotected anal sex and 21% report
never using a condom. - Casual partners – Studies show casual partnering in gays increasing, not decreasing. The myth of homosexual monogamy seems more mythical now than ever.
- Social and mental problems – Suicidation, molestation, and violence were disproportionately higher among homosexuals.
- Fluidity or "Change in sexual orientation over time" – It turns out that choice may have a more significant role in homosexuality than some have thought. "A one-point shift on any dimension over their lives was reported in 48%
of gay men and 20% of lesbian women. "Thus," he concluded, "it is a
myth, according to these data, that once one discovers that they are
gay, they always have been and will be gay."
