LGB Identity: A Demographer's Perspective

Health disparities based on sexual minority status are pronounced (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Public health research and public health and public policy interventions are urgently needed to address these health disparities. But researchers and public health professionals must first understand how to define and measure the LGB population. Most researchers agree that sexual orientation can be defined by attraction, sexual behavior, and identity, but little agreement exists on the ways to utilize these in public health research and interventions. Demographers have a perspective on understanding LGB identity that differs somewhat from other social science disciplines. In its quest to measure and identify populations, demography has a keen interest in considering just who constitutes the LGBT population and, having defined a population, can it be measured and do different measurement strategies change the size, the density, and the vital statistics of a population? The author considers measurement issues associated with sexual orientation using data from the 2008 and 2010 General Social Survey, which measures both sexual orientation identity and same-sex sexual behavior and the 2006-2008 National Survey of Family Growth, which also measures same-sex sexual attraction. The analyses consider how different definitions of who we consider to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual can affect both population estimates and demographic characteristics. It also considers measurement of “the closet” by considering the relationships among identity, behavior, and attraction measures. The author concludes with a consideration of policy implications in relation to the policy debates including health disparities, relationship recognition, parenting, and discrimination.