How has our perspective on and understanding of homosexuality shifted over the last 25 years? Despite certain empirical challenges, what does existing research tell us about patterns of sexual behavior in this country and other westernized countries

What will be an ideal response?

People may engage in sexual behavior with someone of the opposite sex (heterosexuality), someone of the same sex (homosexuality) or in some instances, partners of either sex (bisexuality). Until about 25 years ago, many people considered a homosexual orientation to be a mental disorder, but for a long time it was not clear how many people engaged in sexual behaviors with someone of the same sex. One reason was that, given how difficult it is to get people to discuss sexuality, questions about same-sex practices were rarely included in surveys of adult sexual behaviors. In one of the first surveys (Billy et al., 1993), 2.3% of young men aged 20 to 39 reported that they had engaged in same-sex activity. This rate was consistent with a survey of men and women in the United States aged 18 to 70; 2% reported exclusive same-sex activity or sexual activity with both sexes. These rates are also consistent with other Western countries. Population surveys of adults in Britain and France revealed that 3.6% of British men had engaged in sexual activity with another man on at least one occasion, as had 4.1% of French men. Overall, it appears that between 2 and 5% of men and 1 and 2% of women are exclusively same-sex attracted.