Estimated 9 million Americans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, study finds

About 9 million people across the United States identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to a UCLA study released Thursday.

The estimate, which translates to about 3.5% of adults as LGBT and 0.3% of adults as transgender, was created by the Williams Institute at UCLA's School of Law and argues that any estimate of the population is difficult because there are insufficient and inconsistent national surveys.

The study culled data and methods from nine surveys conducted over the last seven years and averaged results from five of those surveys to estimate sexual orientation and from two surveys to estimate the transgender population.

Among other findings: Of the lesbian, gay and bisexual population, bisexuals were a slightly larger group, representing 1.8% of the adult population compared to 1.7% who were lesbian or gay.

It also found an estimated 8.2% of Americans reported participating in same-sex sexual activity; and an estimated 11% held some same-sex sexual attraction, but neither group necessarily identified as LGBT.

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Comments

[mark]

Stupid poll. 90% of gay or bi men and women will not admit it
in a poll, particularly in small towns, the midWest and the South.

[gina]

Large portions of the transgender community are not 'out' and many who would out themselves would open themselves to discrimination, family strife, potential violence and even job loss. Therefore, this is an absurd statistic which means nothing. Studies like this will be reprinted and linked to with little thought as to its flawed methodology or the complexity of coming up with numbers of a community which is incredibly diverse, where community boundaries are defined in many differing ways and often its members are not even self-identifying.

[boochie]

Sounds like the other 30-40 million are still in the closet.

[gustennisplyr]

" this is dissasterous for our country" ... LMAO
I guess your God decided to spare other countries of " special protection", such as :
Argentina
Belgium
Canada
Iceland
Netherlands

Norway
Portugal
South Africa
Spain
Sweden

where Gay marriage is legal in some cases and gay domestic partnership legally recognize giving gay people the same rights as straight people.
I don't see these country falling into any " disasterous " problems.

wake up, its the 21st century, you can't keep holding on to ancient miths, and if you do believe in them, please don't force other people into your own childish thinking.

[Valerie]

@Todd Pollard: Your prejudice/ignorance against this group is akin to damning people who are left-handed.

In addition to that, you cannot spell. It's "lose" not "loose." Unless you mean your God is "loose."

[DS]

@Todd Pollard: Your god doesn't exist, your bible is without authority, and you've wasted your life believing in a fairy tale. If you want to live under a theocracy, then move to Iran.

[krvonl]

I would believe the results of this study more than the Kinsey's original results that estimated 10% of the US population was homosexual. His studies has many flaws in methodology. Numerous studies since then have found that homosexuals comprise a much lower percentage of the US population.

[concerned citizen]

why does the LA times continue to push all the gay theme articles? WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH!! This is a stupid article.

[Donna]

Brilliant insight (and superb spelling!) from a clearly dazzling intellect, Todd Pollard. Bravo.

[Amy]

Krvonl, Kinsey didn't find that 10% of people were gay. He reported that 10% of white men had had sexual relationships with other men. That's different from identifying as gay; his 10% statistic was about behavior, not identity. Lots of men have sex with other men, and don't identify as gay (which is what the Williams Institute report also shows). Kinsey may have had his flaws, but he also had the bad luck of being misunderstood and misinterpreted.
Mark, recent reports (some also coming from the Williams Institute) show that some of the highest percentages of out LGBT people are in the South. I think you'd be surprised at how many people who identify as LGBT will "admit it" on a survey. Keep in mind that many of these surveys are taken anonymously, making it easier for someone to feel safe and comfortable coming out.

[Zach]

Hey "concerned citizen," if you don't like it, don't read it. But here you are...I think you doth protest (and fixate) too much.

[AC]

I'm bi. And a Christian. Not all of us are jerks.
Oh, and I'm DEFINITELY not anywhere near out of whatever closet I'm supposedly in.

[sophi]

so 8-11% of people admit to being kinda gay. but only 3.5% are out of the closet about it.

[Shauna O'Toole]

I will admit that I am surprised that the numbers are this low. Between 5% and 10% was the latest estimate of the gay, lesbian and bisexual population I read about in the medical literature. The estimate of 0.3% for the transgender population just falls within the last publish estimate range of 0.2% to 1.0%.