The Calgary study

A recent survey conducted in Calgary, Canada, found that 12.7% of males were homosexual or bisexual, splitting nearly equally between the two.

A total of 750 men aged between 18 and 27 were studied. They were asked questions about their sexual activity, as well as whether they identified themselves as homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual.

From the questions about sexual activity, 105 men (14%) said that they have had homosex since age 12. Of these, 65 said their first homosexual experience took place before they were 18 years old.

Another question focused on current sexual behaviour. 69 of the 750 persons interviewed (9.2%) reported having had homosex in the last six months. Of these 69 persons, 32 of them (4.3%) had exclusively homosexual relationships, while the other 37 (4.9%) had it both ways.

A separate question asked if they identified themselves as homosexual or bisexual:

However, there were discrepancies between self-identification and actual sexual behaviour. For example, one man who described himself as heterosexual was having an exclusively homosexual relationship during the preceding six months. Likewise, there were others who were bisexually active, but were still describing themselves as heterosexual.

The researchers made the necessary adjustments to the data, coming to the conclusion that 12.7% (95 out of 750) were bisexual or homosexual.

The interviews were conducted in 1991 and 1992 as part of a broader mental health study. The questions about sexual behaviour and orientation were included because the intention was to see if depression and attempts at suicide were related to these factors.(They were, but that would be digressing from the point of this essay). It was only recently that a fresh look was taken at the data about sexual identification and behaviour by themselves. Hence the delay in publishing the results.

Calgary is a small city, with a population of 740,000. It is not one of the big cities to which gay men tend to migrate and is probably typical of small cities in North America generally.

The interviewees were selected in a strictly random way, unlike other studies where some amount of volunteering may have occurred. Furthermore, this was the first time a study touching on homosexuality was conducted using notebook computers. The respondents answered their questions in their homes by interacting with a notebook programmed with the questionnaire, not with a human interviewer, and were guaranteed anonymity. Other studies had previously found that for sensitive subjects, using computers resulted in more truthful answers.

Previous studies of the prevalence of homosexuality have yielded widely varying findings. At the low end, Michael et al, reported in 1994 that 2.7% considered themselves as homosexual or bisexual, with another 2.2% having had homosexual relationships, but did not identify as homosexual or bisexual. In another study, Billy et al (1993) estimated that 1.3 to 2.3% were sexually active exclusively with others of the same gender. This study relied on face-to-face interviews.

At the high end, Gonsiorek, Sell and Weinrich (1995) reported an average of 10% as predominantly homosexual, while 20.8% had experienced same-gender sex or felt same-gender desires since age 15.

The authors of the Calgary report, Christopher Bagley and Pierre Tremblay, felt that differences in methodology could explain the great variance in results. Some studies were not strictly random, while others had face-to-face or telephone interview methods that might not have been suitable for getting frank replies. It is quite likely in fact, that the recurrent 2 to 5% figure despite less than ideal methodologies, represent the absolute minimum count. These would be the individuals who are relatively open about their sexuality.

© Yawning Bread 

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