Realism isn't a thing, right?

[ShelbyDawn57]

In my opinion. I'm sure the figure is much higher than that. People who are curious, and who are secretly attracted to people of the same gender, or of any sexual persuasion is much higher.
They are kept locked in their boxes by the stigma's attached to coming out and admitting they have been aor are attracted to other human beings.
Because of what I cal social programming, religious brainwashing. We are forced into believing there is only one way. The heterosexual couple with 2.5 children.
Fear of prejudice, humiliation keep us locked away.

Cagivagurl

Absolutely. Even in the gay culture, which has been greatly normalized with the legalization of gay marriage, social ‘norms’ and family pressure is sure to keep a lot of people in the closet.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Numbers I saw were 1.4% gay, 0.7% lesbian, and 0.7% trans.

I’m sure there are conflicting reports all over, these we just from the govt. and we all know we can trust them. They’re here to help, after all.

Yep. Sure can. But we can discuss that later, right now I'm about to see about these singles around here, I heard really wanna meet me.

 

[Cagivagurl]

Absolutely. Even in the gay culture, which has been greatly normalized with the legalization of gay marriage, social ‘norms’ and family pressure is sure to keep a lot of people in the closet.

Absolutely.
Peer and family pressure is far greater than legal restraint.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Absolutely. Even in the gay culture, which has been greatly normalized with the legalization of gay marriage, social ‘norms’ and family pressure is sure to keep a lot of people in the closet.

Normalized is such an iffy word. It's more legalized and open to be seen, but to say normalized isn't exactly true as it goes generally against the hedgimony, thus there's always a stigma, especially compared to social expectations.

 

[CalebZhass]

I'd say that seems right to me. I identify on here as Bi but not in real life, for a plethora of reasons. But I am bi (probably pan, really) through and through. How many of the respondents are in my position?

Unfortunately, there are too many negative connotations surrounding sexual identity for anyone to really openly identify as non standard, unless they are very... ehm... nonchalant or optimistic about how that might affect their lives.

I'm asexual myself and no, if anybody asks me, I just tell them I am straight, just haven't found the right one yet. (ironically enough, it is also true in a way) It is a whole lot easier than trying to explain asexuality in a bigoted world.

As for the OP's question. Based on what I can see around me in the world, I'd hazard a guess that Jenni or I am definitely not alone in not being completely honest about our sexual identity. Besides that, I find that in stories everything goes. Unless the aim is specifically to strike for realism, I doubt anyone will care that everyone in a dorm is a sex crazed maniac as opposed to .. oh wait. Still, I hope you get my gist.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Okay, I'll actually say something smart: the problem with taking empirical measures of things like sexual orientation are that they are in reality fluid. It's conditional according to the environment around the individual in question. A straight girl today might be a bi girl tomorrow, don't make a difference.

Fluid and also multidimensional.

For instance - in the abstract, I'm attracted to women and not to men. By that I mean, if I was asked to imagine a fantasy person to sleep with or fall in love with, I wouldn't be imagining a man. If I were placing a singles ad, I guess it'd go under "looking for woman or non-binary".

But there are a few specific guys that I do find attractive, because there's something about those individual guys that does it for me. Even though the idea of "guys", in general, doesn't.

So if somebody's asking me about my orientation, do I answer based on that tendency of not being interested in men (as a group), or on the fact that there are a few guys I wouldn't kick out of bed?

 

[Bamagan]

Fluid and also multidimensional.

For instance - in the abstract, I'm attracted to women and not to men. By that I mean, if I was asked to imagine a fantasy person to sleep with or fall in love with, I wouldn't be imagining a man. If I were placing a singles ad, I guess it'd go under "looking for woman or non-binary".

But there are a few specific guys that I do find attractive, because there's something about those individual guys that does it for me. Even though the idea of "guys", in general, doesn't.

So if somebody's asking me about my orientation, do I answer based on that tendency of not being interested in men (as a group), or on the fact that there are a few guys I wouldn't kick out of bed?

Maybe by using roll, pitch, and yaw?

 

[Bramblethorn]

Maybe by using roll, pitch, and yaw?

...well, the NZ government does measure sexual orientation on three axes, but I don't think they call them that.

 

[Bamagan]

...well, the NZ government does measure sexual orientation on three axes, but I don't think they call them that.

Those terms do seem more like pillow talk.

 

[Tir_an_Beithioch]

4% seems low, unless only people who self-identify as bisexual are counted. I didn't until fairly recently. Before that I was just a straight guy who was romantically interested in women, but didn't mind going on side quests with guys, so to speak.

I've been told that makes me a "bisexual of convenience". Which is true, I guess. I'm not terribly picky about where or from whom I'm getting some. More options = more sex. It's quite practical.

Not sure if that counts or not due to lack of romantic interest in men.

 

[lil_jenni]

I thought that of myself until recently when I saw photos of a very beautiful, feminine trans woman, with a penis and everything and realized maybe I'm not quite as straight as I thought. And just to be clear, my OP was intended to be very tongue-in-cheek.

Okay... 98% sure.

 

[HordHolm]

All these stats rely on self-reporting. Which makes them completely accurate and reliable....

I'd always heard a 'roughly 10%' estimation for non-hetero sexuality, but honestly it's like a game of pin the tail on the donkey: put your blindfold on and take a stab in the dark.

 

[OverconfidentSarcasm]

Okay, I'll actually say something smart: the problem with taking empirical measures of things like sexual orientation are that they are in reality fluid. It's conditional according to the environment around the individual in question. A straight girl today might be a bi girl tomorrow, don't make a difference.

Well... yeah... but.

I'm gonna put it this way: A straight girl today might be a bi-girl tomorrow, because, as we grow, we can lose inhibitions drilled into us by our surroundings. But I'm fairly certain there's a reason why conversion therapies and "pray the gay away" camps are bullshit.

 

[Duleigh]

Does that seem low to you? It sure does to me.

That's about right. When you are in to something you tend to congregate with people that think the same way and you get an overinflated idea that "everybody" is like that. To a drinker, everyone drinks, to them a non-drinker is rare. To me, groups and groups of people have CTEPH, because so many people I have it and I know so many doctors that deal with it. In reality there's only about 400 of us in the United States, we all tend to cluster around clinics that can treat us.

 

[nice90sguy]

I mean, in my stories, bisexual women are just everywhere

Please remember that 44DD breasts are also highly prevalent here

 

[StillStunned]

Please remember that 44DD breasts are also highly prevalent here

Chiropractor to the Ladies of Lit would be the most popular person here.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Incredibly old joke:
What's the difference between a straight man and a gay man?
About eight pints.

Version from Tom Robinson: What's the difference between a straight man and a bisexual man?
About five pints. (big grin)

More spin-offs:
What's the difference between a gay man and a bisexual man?
Nothing, they'll both fuck whatever's available.

What's the difference between a straight woman and a bisexual woman?
Answer 1: Boredom.
Answer 2: Time.

A rather nasty one: What's the difference between a bisexual woman and a straight woman?
Graduation. (I think that stereotype is dying out?)

What's the difference between a bisexual and a pansexual?
Blue hair dye.

Many of my friends came from on-line and in-person bisexual communities, to the extent that I often forget that monosexuals exist. If people manage to shake off their conditioning, there's a lot more 'I thought I was totally straight/gay until I met X' and 'I'm a man who only likes women, but I want to be fucked' and 'I'm so bad at telling men and women apart, sometimes I dont find out their sex until we're naked together" than ever get to appear in popular culture, not to mention 'my spouse came out as trans and luckily im still attracted to them".

IIRC research showed that if a man has never had same-sex thoughts and a wank by the age of 20, he probably never will, whereas women continue having initial same-sex thoughts at all ages. No idea if that's down to conditioning or prostates or what.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

So if somebody's asking me about my orientation, do I answer based on that tendency of not being interested in men (as a group), or on the fact that there are a few guys I wouldn't kick out of bed?

Fritz Klein hoped people would memorise their 7-digit Klein number to take such things into account, and exchange business cards with said numbers from the past, present and hopes for the future. (The Klein Grid, as outlined in The Bisexual Option)

It measures 7 aspects of sexuality:
A To whom are you sexually attracted?
B With whom have you had sex?
C About whom are your sexual fantasies?
D Who do you feel more drawn to or close to emotionally?
E Which gender do you socialize with?
F In which community do you like to spend your time? In which do you feel most comfortable?
G How do you label or identify yourself?

Shame he didn't live to see QR codes becoming common - it might have finally caught on.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Please remember that 44DD breasts are also highly prevalent here

Because they don't know how bra sizes work and think that means big tits, when they aren't.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

4% seems low, unless only people who self-identify as bisexual are counted. I didn't until fairly recently. Before that I was just a straight guy who was romantically interested in women, but didn't mind going on side quests with guys, so to speak.

I've been told that makes me a "bisexual of convenience". Which is true, I guess. I'm not terribly picky about where or from whom I'm getting some. More options = more sex. It's quite practical.

Not sure if that counts or not due to lack of romantic interest in men.

LMAO if only that was true.

 

[Tir_an_Beithioch]

LMAO if only that was true.

I was always shit at math.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Fritz Klein hoped people would memorise their 7-digit Klein number to take such things into account, and exchange business cards with said numbers from the past, present and hopes for the future. (The Klein Grid, as outlined in The Bisexual Option)

He must have been popular at parties!

It measures 7 aspects of sexuality:
A To whom are you sexually attracted?
B With whom have you had sex?

Presumably wouldn't fit into determining a 7-digit number, but that seems like a question that could benefit from an "and why". So many different reasons people have sex!

 

[TheRedChamber]

It measures 7 aspects of sexuality:
A To whom are you sexually attracted?
B With whom have you had sex?
C About whom are your sexual fantasies?
D Who do you feel more drawn to or close to emotionally?
E Which gender do you socialize with?
F In which community do you like to spend your time? In which do you feel most comfortable?
G How do you label or identify yourself?

H What is the sexuality of your own Literotica characters?

 

[Kumquatqueen]

H What is the sexuality of your own Literotica characters?

'All of the above'...

He must have been popular at parties!

Seemed to be, but that was after following the advice from one guy who was unimpressed by his seminar and told him, "This is England. We have a few drinks, then fuck."

 

[Tir_an_Beithioch]

I: What is your favorite color?

H What is the sexuality of your own Literotica characters?