The gay and lesbian public has piqued the interest of some companies. But businesses are finding a lack of solid data on the group’s fundamentals: who they are, what they buy, how to reach them.

Is it time to make sexual orientation an American demographic?
Illustration by Luc Latulippe
www.demographics.com November 2001                American Demographics #37



a glimpse inside
An Internet survey of almost 6,000 Americans who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT) reveals that 88 percent of this population is white, and 48 percent falls into the 18 to 34 age group.
Self-identification
Gay
Lesbian
Bisexual
Transgendered
Homosexual
Other		 53%
36%
6%
1%
2%
2%
Race/ethnicity
White
Hispanic*
Black
Asian/Pacific Islander
Native American/Alaskan native
Some other race		 88%
8%
3%
2%
1%
4%
Age
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
16%
32%
32%
15%
4%
1%
Gender
Male
Female 		55%
44%
Education
Some H.S.
Graduated H.S.
Some college
College grad
Graduate degree 		1%
9%
32%
37%
20%

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