Seventy-five percent of gay men don't
want to be straight, a new survey has found.
When asked if they would take a pill to
change their sexual orientation, only 1 in 4 gay men answered yes.
The unscientific poll was conducted by
ManCentral.com,
a UK-based dating site that caters to gay men. Its findings were
released on Wednesday.
“In recent years, there have been
reports of members of the LGBT community seeking to 'cure' themselves
through various religious and questionably medical means,” Lee
Martin, a spokesman for the site, said. “Whilst we strongly
believe that sexuality is innate, and therefore not something that
can or should be 'cured,' we felt the research would enable the LGBT
community to recognize the importance of self-acceptance alongside
wider social acceptance.”
The poll's most surprising finding was
the fact that younger men were more likely to take the pill.
Thirty-seven percent of 18- to 24-year-old gay men said they would
take the pill, compared to only 13% of males in the 51 to 60
category.
“I would not take a pill to change my
sexuality now because I have the sense and maturity to realize that
homosexuality is naturally occurring,” one respondent said. “But
unfortunately when I was a young man, I am ashamed to say, I would
have done anything to conform. That is because of peer pressure and
religious pressure which led me to believe I was a low-life because
of my sexuality.”
The largest group of men who would
alter their sexual orientation were closeted gay and bisexual men
(38%).
ManCentral.com polled 2,552 members
over a three day period. Results appeared on
the site's blog.