Testing Your Knowledge of Gay Rights...

Hunter College just released the results of a comprehensive study, touted by the institution as the most comprehensive study of lesbian, gay and bisexual attitudes and behavior to date.

When the results went public, the headline news was that its finding that roughly 2.9% of Americans are lesbian, gay or bisexual. While instinctively, that number feels low to me (I believe that my kids might argue, in the context of that stat, that I know all the gay people in America). But this is not the finding of most interest to me. Or the most disturbing one.

Respondents to the survey who identified as gay were tested on their knowledge regarding the law as it relates to their rights. They were asked four questions. And no, the first one was not "Why is tonight different from all other nights?"

Rather than give you the answers, I'll pose the questions, so you can play along. For each question below, see if YOU know the answer.

Ready?  Here goes.

1. Is marriage between two men or two women legal in your state?
2. Can gay men and lesbians serve openly in the military?
3. Does the U.S. Constitution have an amendment that bans same-sex marriage?
4. Is there a national law making it illegal to fire someone for being lesbian, gay or bisexual?

OK, I'll give you a little while.  This quiz is open to all without regard to sexual orientation.  And we work on the honor system.  Don't go telling me you got all 4 right if you didn't.

Or, if you'd prefer, why don't you guess what % of gay respondents got all four questions right?  Weigh in and stay tuned.

Comments

[Mona]

OK, I'll play along. But first I have to agree with you that I think that 2.9% number is low. Perhaps they were only counting in a red state. ;) Or perhaps if it is right then you and I must know all the same people.

I live in NY state and my answers are
No
No
No
Yes

[Kristin]

No
No
No
No

And there's no way the number is 2.9% -- unless you just count my neighborhood and my children's aunts and uncles....then meebe....

[Debbie]

no on all four, but 2.9% is a buncha garbage. 'course, I live in a very out-and-proud place, i.e., Portland, OR, *and* I'm bi, my own self, so I happen to have -- well, a more vast vp on the whole subject than most, I guess.

*shrugs*

[jaelithe]

Yes, 2.9% is ridiculously low. I'd give 5-10%, easily.

If you know all the gay people in the country, I agree with Mona: we must know a lot of the same people!

[Kristin]

Bi Debbie -- one more thing we have in common -- sheesh -- are you my long-lost sister or sumpin?

[Glennia]

I live in California, am not gay, and here are my answers:

1. It is as of last week.
2. No
3. No
4. No

I had always heard 1 in 10 people, so 2.9% is very low.

[D]

I am guessing that 2.9% of the gay people got the answers right. And really, we all know it's about 10% of the population is gay, no? That sounds about right to me.

And as a very very proud Californian as of one week ago, the answers for me are:

Yes
No
No
No

[Liz]

OK, I'll play. Californian.

Almost (because I don't think they can go get married today)
No
No
Yes

[The Gay Curmudgeon]

I'm in Washington State:

No.
No.
No.
No.

The number that I see used most often is 4.1% taken from the 2000 census. That's the one that the Williams Institute in California uses in much of it's work.

[Kady]

Suspect number, I'm in MA so

YES (Woohoo!)
No
No
No

[Jerseygirl89]

I'm not sure about the number either, but I spent most of my twenties in gay bars so I might have a skewed sense of the numbers.

No (but we do at least have civil unions)
No
No
No