A More Realistic Study of Gay Men Reveals Greater Ethnic and Economic Diversity Than Previously Researched

Gay Stereotypes Dispelled
By George Anderson

A one-size-fits-all approach to the gay and lesbian market is reducing the effectiveness of campaigns targeted to consumers based on their sexual preference. That is the finding of a recent study by New American Dimensions and the Asterix Group.

According to the study of 926 individuals online and in-person, the stereotypical young, white, urban and affluent gay and lesbian image often portrayed in the media is reflective of only a small percentage of consumers in this market segment.

Gary Gates, a demographer at the Williams Institute at the University of California-Los Angeles law school, told the San Jose Mercury News, "Gay men actually make less money than other men. And every time I say that, people say, 'What?' This stereotype of gay men being really wealthy - the whole 'Will and Grace' kind of stereotype - it's just absolutely not true."

Only 42 percent of gay men and 31 percent of lesbians report living in urban areas. The vast majority resides in small towns and rural areas.

About 12 percent of the study's respondents were identified as "closeted." Only four percent of this group reported having come out of the closet while 35 percent said they were still in.

These individuals, the research found, were more likely to be Caucasian, older and live in small communities. Eighty percent of these individuals said sexual orientation was not an important part of their identity.

The polar opposite to "closeted" individuals were those identified in the study as "super gays."

About 26 percent of respondents were classified into this segment by the study's authors. Members of this group were open about their sexual orientation and tended to be more highly educated and affluent.

Across the various segments, the study found some commonalities. For one, nearly two-thirds report having experienced stereotyping and discrimination as a result of their sexual orientation.

Christine Lehtonen, president of Asterix, told the Mercury News, "I expected to find more differences by gender, male and female. And primarily, there weren't a ton of differences."

Seventy percent of gay consumers were willing to spend more for products developed for companies that support their community. The two most popular methods for demonstrating that support are companies offering domestic partnership benefits (79 percent) and making donations to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) groups.

Reflecting on the study, David Morse, president of New American Dimensions, said in a press release, "We have segmented the LGBT market in all its diversity, providing a more detailed picture of the gay and lesbian customer, providing highly sought-after insights to mainstream advertisers."

Christine Lehtonen, president of Asterix, told the Mercury News, "I expected to find more differences by gender, male and female. And primarily, there weren't a ton of differences."
Seventy percent of gay consumers were willing to spend more for products developed for companies that support their community. The two most popular methods for demonstrating that support are companies offering domestic partnership benefits (79 percent) and making donations to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) groups.

Reflecting on the study, David Morse, president of New American Dimensions, said in a press release, "We have segmented the LGBT market in all its diversity, providing a more detailed picture of the gay and lesbian customer, providing highly sought-after insights to mainstream advertisers."

All of us knew all along that we are a diverse group of gay men with different kinks, attitudes, and backgrounds. While we don't need a survey to verify our diversity, I'm glad that finally someone has focused on our differences.

Now if we could only get advertisers to portray us as we bond, giving each other mega hairy muscle hugs, now that would be the kind of recognition I'd appreciate. WOOF.

Gay Yesterday, Gay Today, Gay Tomorrow. What Deep Roots We Have.

The following is from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6593281.stm

Ancient text shows 'gay activist'

Dr Hal Gladfelder discovered the document by chanceThe battle for gay rights may have been fought more than two centuries before the UK legalization of homosexuality.

The 18th Century writings of Thomas Cannon, believed to be one of the first gay activists, have been found by a University of Manchester academic.

They were contained in a handwritten scroll indicting the printer of his 1749 work "Ancient And Modern Pederasty Investigated And Exemplified".

The book was banned but the scroll has long, previously unheard, extracts.

Dr Hal Gladfelder found the parchment among a box of uncatalogued documents from 1750 while doing research at the National Archives in Kew.

The indictment suggests the book was an anthology of stories and philosophical texts in defence of male homosexuality. I think what happened to Cannon paved the way for 200 years of homophobic repression , said Dr Gladfelder.

One story deals with cross-dressing while others are translations of Greek and Latin homo-erotic texts. One of the extracts reads: "Unnatural desire is a contradiction in terms; downright nonsense.
"Desire is an amatory impulse of the inmost human parts."

Dr Gladfelder, from the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures, said: "This must be the first substantial treatment of homosexuality ever in English.

"The only other discussions of homosexuality were contained in violently moralistic and homophobic attacks or in trial reports for the crime of sodomy up to and beyond 1750."

Sodomy in England was a capital offence punishable by death until 1861 and homosexuality was banned until 1967.

Dr Gladfelder said Cannon fled to Europe to avoid punishment and no copies of the book itself survive.

"It's a fair assumption that Cannon was writing for a gay subculture at the time - which has largely remained hidden," he added. "Though he lived in anonymity - possibly because of the notoriety of his pamphlet - I certainly regard him as a martyr.

"I think what happened to Cannon paved the way for 200 years of homophobic repression," he added.

So our first gay scholar and activist was Thomas Cannon. You learn something everyday.

That just goes to show that while our battles for acceptance and equality seem to be recent, the war has gone on for a very long time.