It's official - America is getting gayer

[topdog]

And sexual fluidity is the main reason.

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“Millennials are markedly more accepting of same-sex behavior than Gen Xers were at the same age — but then, so are most adults,” co-author Ryne Sherman of Florida Atlantic University said in a statement. “The change is primarily one of time period, where all adults shifted in their attitudes.”

That increase in tolerance likely helped drive an increase in sexual behaviors (and willingness to report them). The percentage of men who have had sex with at least one man increased from 4.5 percent to 8.2 percent between 1990 and 2014. Women reporting at least one female sexual partner increased from 3.6 percent to 8.7 percent of the population during the same period. But Twenge and her colleagues say that bisexual behavior drove this change: The percentage of survey respondents who had all same-sex partners didn’t increase significantly during that time, but the percentage of adults with both male and female partners increased from 3.1 percent to 7.7 percent.

“That’s what I found surprising,” Twenge told The Post. “When we looked more closely at the change, it was mostly due to people having sex with partners of both genders.”

And while I can't boast a sample size of 35,000 (I'm not that slutty ), this definitely bears out my personal experience. Younger guys today are definitely more relaxed about going with what feels good, and worrying about labels later, if at all. Back in olden times (when I was young) having sex with a straight guy could trigger an identity crises. (Not for me, but for my partner in experimentation.) That often meant that the flings were a one-time-only affair.

Also, on a related note, I seem to run in to fewer straight guys that are gay sex virgins. (Which is a good thing, in my opinion.)

How does all this compare with your experiences?

[topdog]

And now similar results in the UK. Some straight guys are no longer fearing man sex because of the "gay" label. They can do what feels good and then invent their own label if they want.

Welcome to the demise of the heterosexual majority.

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The number of British people defining themselves as “bisexual” has jumped by 45 per cent in just three years, according new official estimates. For the first time, more young people in the UK describe themselves as bisexual than gay or lesbian combined, the figures from the Office for National Statistics show... A survey by YouGov published last year found that half of young people, and almost a quarter of the population overall, define themselves as something other than 100 per cent heterosexual.

[zortek]

yes, these studies reinforce and confirm my experiences and observations.

being avowedly bisexual/fluid myself i have often felt that my experiences over the past few decades were way out of step with the reported statistics.

many of my male partners have been straight (or i would consider straight/mostly straight). the main difference to topdog's experience is that virtually none of them have gone through any major identity crisis after, and i think this may be because of the subcultures that i belong/have belonged to.. (punk, surf, dance scene etc) .. a rejection of mainstream norms is a part of it all, so getting together with someone of your own sex does not cause any existential social or religious crisis. (maybe strangely, but i also feel that never having belonged to any 'gay subculture' is a part of that .. the biggest prejudice that i ever experienced when younger came from gay guys denying that the fluidity was real ... thankfully this has mostly changed as well)

and all of our millennials and their friends find such fluidity no issue at all, are very chill about it, and much more likely to talk about it all openly with each other and with us.

in our 'village' the overall consensus is that it is person you are attracted to, not the gender of the person.

[topdog]

Originally Posted by zortek [Only Registered Users Can See LinksClick Here To Register]

... in our 'village' the overall consensus is that it is person you are attracted to, not the gender of the person.

Interesting - that reminds of something another bisexual young man said when he first fell in love with a man:

After meeting Michael, I didn’t have any doubt about it. I didn’t tell everyone on day one just in case it didn’t take, just in case I tried it out and it wasn’t for me or it wasn’t a match. I think there is a double standard for bisexual men. That was just for a second though. I didn’t want to have a proper coming out because I didn’t feel like there was anything to announce. I was just dating Michael now. That’s what I told people without any context or greater reading. The big deal for me wasn’t that Michael was a man, but that he was awesome.

([Only Registered Users Can See LinksClick Here To Register], if you want their whole story.)

[BadMan125]

The heteros are finally petering out. Thank the Lord.

[bluemount]

Is this not more down to people admitting they have had a same sex experience than more people being bi?

[Shelter]

Originally Posted by BadMan125 [Only Registered Users Can See LinksClick Here To Register]

The heteros are finally petering out. Thank the Lord.

I don't hope so - tell me who shall make new gays????

[fb115]

It's a social shift in norms that likely comes as a result of lesser religious affiliation for the Millennials. Religious organizations have to scramble to find other means to support themselves.