That’s what AOL News claims based on an article in the journal Pediatrics. Kevin DeYoung smelled something fishy about this surprising statistic, so did a little investigating and found out that the claim is based on a misreading of the journal article. DeYoung writes:
AOL speaks of 1 in 10 teens; the original article concludes 9.3% of sexually active adolescents reported a same-sex partner. There’s a big difference. The survey analyzed data from 17,220 teenagers. Of those, 7,261 (or 42%) reported having had sex. So according this study 58% of teens are not having sex with anyone and 9.3% of those have, had same-sex partners, or 3.9% of the total sample.
DeYoung also raises a legitimate question about sample bias given the researchers’ methodology, and notes how ~1/3 of the boys who reported a same-sex experience noted that it was “forced.” So not only are less than 4% of teens engaging in same-sex activity, but a significant portion of that number are doing so against their own will. Neither statistic is helpful to the gay agenda. And yet, many will be convinced by AOL’s sloppy reporting that homosexuality is common among teens.
HT: Justin Taylor
Thinking to Believe 
October 28, 2010 at 1:56 pm
why now? Is it me or has there been an explosion of same sex genes? I say that jokingly because there is not a gene. My point is why now? At this rate humanity would have been extinct thousands of years ago.
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October 29, 2010 at 9:10 am
What you are making here is the assumption that gay teens have sex more than non-gay teens. The basic position would be to assume (until further data is provided) that indeed 1 in 10 teens are either attracted to the same sex or willing to experiment in this regard. Personally I have found that homosexuals have greater problems finding sexual partners and especially teens will find this problematic based on all the social taboos surrounding sexual orientation, which would make the statistic underreported. Of course I think many people can see the point that even heterosexual teens will have same-sex encounters which can be easily seen as due to the nature of adolescent sexual exploration and experimentation.
I still don’t see how your points do anything to harm “the gay agenda” – whatever that is. I mean we know gays exist, and are a significant percentage of the population (be it 3.9% or 9% – it’s still millions). Better statistics can only be gained if homosexuality is destigmatised.
Re: cs
Homosexuality exists in animals in the wild as well – we know it is in part genetically influenced. The persistence of these genes can be explained be the simple fact that many homosexuals do reproduce – either by overcoming their impulses or because they live in a heterosexual union where sexual pleasure is not important to them.
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October 29, 2010 at 10:40 am
=8?-DX,
How am I making the assumption that gay teens have sex more than non-gay teens? That never even came up, it’s not something I assume, and it’s not even relevant.
The part about the gay agenda is that people want to promote the idea that gays are everywhere in America–that everyone is doing it (as part of their appeal for cultural acceptance of homosexuality). That’s why going all the way back to Kinsey there have been attempts to inflate the numbers. The % of gays in America is quite small, whether teen or adult.
Jason
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October 29, 2010 at 11:17 am
Well if it is the number of gay teens that is in question, than saying 1 in 10 (or 10%) is a good estimate based on this data is it not? The only way there could be another result is if gay teens were actually more likely to have had sexual intercourse.
I wouldn’t argue on Kinsey, but I don’t think the reported number of gays is part of any agenda – a group which is even 2-3% of the population (with larger percentages mentioned elsewhere and different numbers for homosexual practices compared to self-identification) is a large group by any standards. I don’t see how you can say its not valid to say gays are everywhere.
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October 29, 2010 at 1:39 pm
I believe this issue was settled conclusively by the last Census, which proved that only 1.5% of the population is gay.
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October 29, 2010 at 1:43 pm
BTW, I doubt it’s true that gay teens have a harder time finding an adult male partner than straight teens have finding an adult female partner. I would assume that gay teens would be hit on by older males while straight teen males would have difficulty finding a partner because the females would be looking for older males.
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October 29, 2010 at 1:53 pm
=8)-DX
I agree with Arthur. There’s not much of a need to estimate. Granted, the census data is looking more at adults (and I think the figures are slightly higher than this, Arthur).
It’s no more valid to say gays are everywhere in America than to say Hindus are everywhere. They are here, but their numbers are small. Hinduism is not a normative religion in America, and homosexuality is not a normative sexual lifestyle for Americans either.
Jason
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October 30, 2010 at 2:40 am
Comparing Hinduism with homosexuality is not exactly accurate:
2) Hindus will not be evenly spaced throughout the country.
1) The number of Hindus in America is around 0.4-0.6% of the population.
The percentage of gays worldwide is much higher than this and although there aren’t any really conclusive studies – homosexuality effects a lot more than 1,4% of worldwide populations. From what I have gathered reading various US census reports, no direct data was collected concerning sexual orientation, but rather households with same-sex partners were identified (filled in as husband/wife). More studies are needed but it’s clear to me looking at results from Europe for instance, that despite the fact that only a small percentage of people self-identify as gay/lesbian, a much larger number of people engage in (or have engaged in) sexual intercourse with others of the same sex.
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November 1, 2010 at 4:22 am
The Centers for Disease Control released a report on sexual orientation in September 2005. They found that that 2.3% of men identify as homosexual, and 1.8% as bisexual = 4.1%. Likewise, 1.3% of women identify as homosexual, and 2.8% as bisexual = 4.1%. That covers the range of people who are having sex with people of the same gender.
Survey participants were asked if they were sexually attracted to males, to females, or to both. Among men 18-44 years of age, 92% said they were attracted “only to females,” and 3.9% “mostly” to females, leaving 4.1% who are attracted only to males, mostly to males, or equally to male and female.
Among women, 86% said they were attracted only to males, and 10% “mostly” to males, leaving 4% who are attracted only to females, mostly to females, or equally to male and female.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/ad/361-370/ad362.htm
Jason
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