I remember the monumental occasion of “coming out” as gay. Wow! Both scared and exhilarated at the same time, I proudly left the closet and assumed like everyone else that there was no going back. I believe I always had same-sex feelings and attractions, despite doing my best to ignore or minimize them through most of my life. I am happy to report that comparable to 61% of a sample of 181 gay men [1], I always saw myself as homosexually inclined. Okay, except what does this say about the remaining 39% of that sample? Were they unaware of their attractions for males from a young age, or did their sexual orientation change over time? The only way we could reliably find out is if we followed a large sample of men over several years and tested them regularly with instruments designed to measure sexual orientation. We do know that the majority of heterosexual men would report that their sexual orientation as unchanged [2], but we would not know the reason why they are reporting no change. Is it because nothing has actually changed, or is it because they do not want to open “Pandora’s box” by looking at what is inside? In other words, it’s easier to simply not look closely at one’s sexuality. Easier to take a predetermined and rigid stance of, “I’m straight...no two ways about it.”

Strangely, there have been few long-term investigations of male sexuality. You would think researchers would be deeply interested in such a topic, but if they are, they are keeping their findings secret from the rest of us! I am aware of four studies that offer some insight into this, but none are particularly convincing in my mind. Let’s take a look at these since they are all we have available.

One of the earlier studies, published in 1993, focused on 105 self-identified bisexual men between ages 19 and 62. Sexual orientation was measured by one question that used a 7-point scale with “1” being completely homosexual and “7” being completely heterosexual. Only 30 could be contacted at the one-year follow-up period, and of these 30, 12 reported that they had moved toward a homosexual orientation, 16 experienced no change, and 2 had moved toward a heterosexual orientation. [3] I think the authors would have been more accurate in their report if they stated that what they were measuring was sexual identity and not sexual orientation. Nonetheless, their follow-up suggests that indeed 40% of these 30 were more sexually inclined toward men than a year earlier.

Two of the same researchers in the previous study replicated their study, published in 1997, this time using a sample of 216 bisexual men. Seventy-three (34%) of the sample moved toward a homosexual orientation, 106 (49%) did not change, and 37 (17%) moved toward a heterosexual orientation. I believe that these two studies, apart from showing a migration to a homosexual identity for 30-to-40% of bisexual men over the one year period, also highlight the difficulty that many bisexual men have in defining themselves. My reading of the literature suggests that there is a true bisexual sexual orientation and accompanying sexual identity in many bisexually-identified men and women. My point is merely that for some, defining oneself temporarily as bisexual reflects a time of uncertainty, requiring further time to question and explore.

Another study focused on 156 urban youths, ages 14-21, with sexual minority identities. Nearly 80% of the group were ethnic minorities, which is actually very rare in social science research. After a one-year period, about half the youths who identified as bisexual had adopted a lesbian or gay label, whereas 7% of the lesbian or gay youths transitioned to bisexual labels. Overall, 72% consistently identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual over time. The authors noted that this figure of 70% is consistent with findings from other research. [4] What this suggests, then, is that about 30% of sexual minority youth have difficulty deciding on an appropriate identity label. I suggest this is not surprising, given the fact that certain identity labels are sometimes in vogue and considered trendy (e.g., queer, bisexual, no label), and also the fact that we have known for a long time that sexual feelings and behaviours expressed in adolescence are not always reflective of an enduring sexual orientation. Adolescence is meant to be a time of discovery, so change should not be considered all that consequential.

The study with the longest follow-up (five years) was conducted in Dunedin, New Zealand and published in 2003. The sample of men interviewed was representative, meaning that it accurately reflected the age cohort of those born in Dunedin in 1972-1973 (i.e., the study did not rely on a convenient sample of simply taking anyone willing to participate). These researchers sampled 485 men between age 21 and 26. Participants were asked about same-sex behaviour and their attitudes toward same-sex relationships. By age 26, 10.7% of the men indicated that they had been attracted to other males at some time, but only 5.6% reported having some current same-sex attraction. A much smaller percentage of men were mostly attracted to their own sex or to both sexes equally (1.6%). Over the five-year period, more men moved away from exclusive heterosexual attraction (1.9%) than moved towards it (1.0%). The authors concluded that their results tell us that “much same-sex attraction is not exclusive and is unstable in early adulthood.” [5] The results also suggest that more young men became aware of some degree of same-sex attraction over the five years compared to those who reported a loss of same-sex attraction.

Physical attraction to other males can and does diminish or disappear for some men over time. In one Dutch study, half of the 14% of men who reported having attraction to males reported that their attraction disappeared later in life. [6] Also, the stability of sexual orientation depends on what aspect is being assessed. Whereas sexual identity and sexual behaviour may undergo considerable change through adolescence and young adulthood [7], sexual attraction and romantic feelings are likely more enduring.

Another study asked 762 participants (ages 36-60) to rate (using 7-point scales) their sexual fantasy, romantic attraction, and sexual behaviour toward or with men and women in consecutive five-year intervals beginning at age 16. Although one-third of the sample reported no change at all in any of their ratings, two-thirds reported some change across the three dimensions measured. [8] Furthermore, a percentage of their sample changed identity labels over time: 3% of heterosexual men and women, 39% of gay men, 65% of lesbians, 66% of bisexual men, and 77% of bisexual women.

As some heterosexual individuals “join the ranks” of non-heterosexuality, some non-heterosexual individuals migrate toward a heterosexual identity. [9] Does this mean that sexual orientation has actually changed? Again, researchers must specify which aspect of sexual orientation they are referring to if change is being reported.

What we can safely conclude about sexual orientation in men at present (based on the available research) is that the majority of heterosexuals maintain their heterosexuality, although a small percentage become aware or develop same-sex attraction over time. Although the majority of adolescents and young adults with a non-heterosexual identity will continue to define as non-heterosexual, a sizeable percentage will experience changes in their self-chosen sexual identity and/or in their sexual behaviour over time.

We know next to nothing about men with non-heterosexual identities beyond the age of 25. Do they continue to experience change long after most heterosexuals have settled into a stable sense of identity? Well, the only way to answer this is for researchers to begin to study this population. In the meantime, your guess is as good as mine.

Dr. Alderson is an associate professor of counselling psychology at the University of Calgary who specializes in gay and lesbian studies. He also maintains a private practice. He can be contacted by confidential email at alderson@ucalgary.ca, or by confidential voice mail at 605-5234.

References:

1. Kinnish, K. K., Strassberg, D. S., & Turner, C. W. (2005). Sex differences in the flexibility of sexual orientation: A multidimensional retrospective assessment. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34(2), 173-183.

2. Savin-Williams, R. C., & Ream, G. L. (2007). Prevalence and stability of sexual orientation components during adolescence and young adulthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36(3), 385-394.

3. Stokes, J. P., McKirnan, D. J., & Burzette, R. G. (1993). Sexual behavior, condom use, disclosure of sexuality, and stability of sexual orientation in bisexual men. Journal of Sex Research, 30(3), 203-213.

4. Rosario, M., Schrimshaw, E. W., Hunter, J., & Braun, L. (2006). Sexual identity development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths: Consistency and change over time. Journal of Sex Research, 43(1), 46-58.

5. Dickson, N., Paul, C., & Herbison, P. (2003). Same-sex attraction in a birth cohort: Prevalence and persistence in early adulthood. Social Science & Medicine, 56(8), 1607-1615. [quote from p. 1607].

6. Sandfort, 1997 (as cited in Savin-Williams, & Ream, 2007).

7. Savin-Williams & Ream (2007).

8. Kinnish, Strassberg, & Turner (2005).

9. Savin-Williams & Ream (2007).