LGBTQ+ Health Intervention

Author: Gao Yanning
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features:
1. Introduction Homosexuality is a unique cultural phenomenon. We refer to it as "subculture" because it has distinct characteristics that are detached from mainstream culture. As a subcultural group, homosexual individuals possess unique behavioral norms and styles. Both homosexual individuals and the general public are very concerned about the incidence of homosexuality, as it is a fundamental fact related to the existence and significance of homosexuality. In a social group, having 10% homosexual individuals versus only 1% would make a significant difference in importance. The homosexual community, in particular, is highly sensitive to this fact. A typical example is the 1994 U.S. national random sample survey, which revealed that homosexual individuals accounted for only 2.7% of the total population in the United States. This immediately sparked skepticism and protest from the homosexual community, who believed the results were unreliable. Although the survey also indicated that in large cities, the rate of homosexuality was as high as 10%. There is a pattern where homosexual individuals tend to prefer urban lifestyles, often distancing themselves from rural areas and small towns, favoring major cities. Therefore, in large cities such as Hong Kong, London, and New York, it is generally believed that homosexual individuals can constitute 10% of the population. Long before probability statistics became widely used in sociological research, many sociologists and sexologists had made various estimates of the incidence of homosexual behavior in the population and the proportion of homosexual individuals in the population. Estimates ranged from 1% to 5%, and many surveys found that homosexual individuals accounted for 10% of the total population. In the United Kingdom, approximately 10% of the population self-identified as homosexual, and the actual ratio of homosexual individuals in the population may be higher than this number, including those who are behaviorally bisexual. In the United States, a "TenPercentSociety" was established, and I have heard of the "" in Hong Kong, referring to one-tenth of the total population being predominantly homosexual-oriented. Currently, there is a consensus in academia that the proportion of homosexual individuals in the population may be slightly higher than the actual number, but not by too much. In recent years, there have also been surveys conducted in China, such as Professor Pan Suiming from Renmin University of China. His survey showed that 16.6% of male university students had engaged in homosexual behavior (audience gasped), which is quite interesting. The rate of lifelong homosexuality is relatively low, but the rate of having had homosexual behavior is much higher. In Kinsey's report on American whites in the 1940s, 37% had engaged in homosexual behavior, so this 16.6% rate is not particularly high. Professor Pan Suiming also found that the rate of those with only a homosexual psychological tendency was 8.4%, and the rate of those with both behavior and tendency was 4.2%. Additionally, Professor Liu Daling from Shanghai University has conducted similar surveys, with results showing that 7.0% to 8.3% of male university students had engaged in homosexual behavior. They all conducted surveys among male university students, targeting a specific population, so the incidence rate cannot be said to represent the entire nation. The famous American sexologist Kinsey conducted a massive survey of 20,000 individuals, with methods that were relatively reliable and considered authoritative data. In 1948, he published Human Male Sexuality, and in 1953, he published Human Female Sexuality. The publication of these two books significantly changed the atmosphere in the United States. Kinsey's survey clearly distinguished between individuals who had only engaged in homosexual behavior and those who were absolutely homosexual, providing reliable data on the proportions of these two groups in the population. He pointed out that 37% of white males after the onset of puberty had at least engaged in homosexual behavior at least once, and 4% were lifelong homosexual behaviorists (absolute homosexual behaviorists). Additionally, 60% of the adolescent group and 48% of the young male group had participated in homosexual activities during their adolescence. After adjusting for biases in Kinsey's sample, such as a lower education level and a higher incidence of imprisonment, it is estimated that approximately 3% to 4% of adult males in the total population are purely homosexual. This may be the best estimate we can obtain for a long time to come. Sociological surveys have shown that, whether in relatively tolerant Nordic societies or in relatively strict societies toward homosexuality, such as Catholic countries, the proportion of homosexual individuals in various societies and cultures remains very close and stable. It can be inferred that homosexual individuals in China may also account for 3% to 4% of the adult population. If calculated based on a population of 1.3 billion, this means there are approximately 39 million to 52 million homosexual individuals.