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- Parte de Records of the Office of the Public Liaison (Clinton Administration), Elizabeth (Julian) Potter's files
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OCR Page 1 of 65FACTFILE
© 1992 Hetrick-Martin Institute, Inc.
POPULATION
Age of Awareness
Many gay men and lesbians sensed something "different" about themselves
as early as age four or five. The age at which most acknowledge their
homosexuality is between 14 and 16 years for males and between 16 and 19
years for females.
Source: Saghir MT, Robins E, Walbian B, Male and Female Homosexuality, Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1973.
Among Adolescents
The Kinsey study found that from puberty to age twenty, 28% of boys and
17% of girls had one or more homosexual experiences.
Source: Kinsey AC, Pomeroy WB, Martin CE, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, 1948 and Sexual Behavior in the
Human Female, 1953, Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.
Among Adults
During adulthood, 37% of Americans have homosexual experiences. Ten
percent are predominantly homosexual. (This is the source of the commonly
accepted 10% figure.)
Source: Kinsey, op cit.
STRESS FACTORS
Isolation Eighty percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth report severe isolation
problems. They experience social isolation (having no one to talk to),
emotional isolation (feeling distanced from family and peers because of their
sexual identity), and cognitive isolation (lack of access to good information
about sexual orientation and homosexuality).
Source: Hetrick ES, Martin AD, "Developmental Issues and Their Resolution for Gay and Lesbian Adolescents,"
Journal of Homosexuality, 14(1/2):25-43, 1987.
Family Difficulties
Half of all lesbian and gay youth interviewed report that their parents
rejected them due to their sexual orientation.
Source: Remafedi G, "Male Homosexuality: The Adolescent's Perspective," Pediatrics, 79: 326-330, 1987.
Substance Abuse
In a study of gay male adolescents, 68% reported alcohol use (with 26% using
alcohol once or more per week), and 44% reported drug use (with 8%
considering themselves drug-dependent). Among young lesbians, 83% had
used alcohol, 56% had used drugs, and 11% had used crack/cocaine in the
three months preceding the study.
Source: Rosario M, Hunter J, Rotheram-Borus MJ, Unpublished data on lesbian adolescents, HIV Center for Clinical
and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1992.
SUICIDE
Incidence
Gay youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than
heterosexual young people. It is estimated that up to 30% of the completed
youth suicides are committed by lesbian and gay youth annually.
Source: Gibson P, LCSW, "Gay Male and Lesbian Youth Suicide," Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth
Suicide, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1989.
Multiple Attempts
In a study of 137 gay and bisexual males, 29% had attempted suicide, almost
half of whom reported multiple attempts.
Source: Remafedi G, Farrow JA, Delsher RW, "Risk Factors for Attempted Suicide in Gay and Bisexual Youth,"
Pediatrics, 87(6), June 1991.