Wed. April 7, 2010
Seventy-five percent of gay men don't want to be straight, a new survey has found.
When asked if they would take a pill to change their sexual orientation, only 1 in 4 gay men answered yes.
The unscientific poll was conducted by ManCentral.com, a UK-based dating site that caters to gay men. Its findings were released on Wednesday.
"In recent years, there have been reports of members of the LGBT community seeking to 'cure' themselves through various religious and questionably medical means," Lee Martin, a spokesman for the site, said. "Whilst we strongly believe that sexuality is innate, and therefore not something that can or should be 'cured,' we felt the research would enable the LGBT community to recognize the importance of self-acceptance alongside wider social acceptance."
The poll's most surprising finding was the fact that younger men were more likely to take the pill. Thirty-seven percent of 18- to 24-year-old gay men said they would take the pill, compared to only 13% of males in the 51 to 60 category.
"I would not take a pill to change my sexuality now because I have the sense and maturity to realize that homosexuality is naturally occurring," one respondent said. "But unfortunately when I was a young man, I am ashamed to say, I would have done anything to conform. That is because of peer pressure and religious pressure which led me to believe I was a low-life because of my sexuality."
The largest group of men who would alter their sexual orientation were closeted gay and bisexual men (38%).
ManCentral.com polled 2,552 members over a three day period. Results appeared on the site's blog.
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