gay

Debunking Lazy, Stereotypical Beliefs About Straight Men and Gay Men

Just because a man has never been married does not mean he is gay. Approximately 34% of adult men in the United States have never been married. The overwhelming majority of never-married men are straight.

Two straight men can be close platonic friends. It does not make sense to assume two men are gay simply because they are close. That assumption is homophobic.

A straight man and a gay man can be close platonic friends. You should not assume the straight man is gay simply because he is friends with a gay man. That assumption is homophobic.

Two gay men can be close platonic friends. You should not assume they are romantically involved simply because they are both gay. That is homophobic.

Just because a man has never had children does not mean he is gay. A substantial share of adult men in the United States have never had children. The overwhelming majority of men without children are straight.

Ask yourself why you or anyone else would wonder whether someone is gay, or why it would even matter. There are far more meaningful ways to spend your time.

References

Gates, G. J. (2011). How many people are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender? Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law.

Jones, J. M. (2024, March 13). LGBTQ+ identification in U.S. now at 7.6%. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/611864/lgbtq-identification.aspx

U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). Table A1. Marital status of people 15 years and over, by age, sex: 2023. America’s Families and Living Arrangements. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/demo/families/cps-2023.html

U.S. Census Bureau. (2024). Historical marital status tables (Table MS-1). https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/families/marital.html

Pew Research Center. (2024, July 25). The experiences of U.S. adults who don’t have children. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/07/25/the-experiences-of-u-s-adults-who-dont-have-children/

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