Table 3.

Identity characteristics

Variable	Gay men	Lesbians	Bisexual men	Bisexual women	Total
Self-labeling (% using label “all the time,” “often,” or “sometimes”)
“Gay”	93.0% a	75.9% b	18.7% c	9.5% c	50.7%
CI	87.7–96.1	66.3–83.5	10.2–31.6	5.9–14.9	43.5–58.0
“Lesbian”	N/A	73.4% a	N/A	11.2% b	34.9%
CI		64.2–80.9		7.0–17.5	28.3–42.3
“Bisexual”	2.4% a	7.6% a	71.3% b	60.3% b	35.4%
CI	1.0–5.3	3.7–14.9	54.9–83.5	49.0–70.7	27.7–44.0
“Queer”	16.8%	16.4%	8.5%	7.2%	12.2%
CI	11.8–23.2	10.4–24.8	3.7–18.2	2.7–17.5	9.2–16.0
“Homosexual”	38.7% a	35.9% a	10.8% b	3.7% b	22.5%
CI	30.4–47.7	27.0–45.9	5.0–21.8	1.8–7.4	18.1–27.6
“Dyke”	N/A	16.9%	N/A	6.0%	10.1%
CI		11.2–24.8		1.9–17.0	6.3–16.1
Identity distancing (mean IHP; higher score = greater distancing)	1.97 ab	1.65 a	2.62 b	1.84 ab	2.07
CI	1.77–2.16	1.49–1.82	1.88–3.36	1.63–2.06	1.81–2.32
Community identification (% strongly agree or agree somewhat)
“My membership in the [L/G/B/Q/H] community is an important reflection of who I am.”	44.6% a	43.1% a	15.6% b	24.7% ab	32.0%
CI	35.8–53.8	33.6–53.0	8.4–27.0	15.0–38.0	26.4–38.2
“Overall, my membership in the [L/G/B/Q/H] community has very little to do with how I feel about myself.”	55.1%	51.3%	60.2%	68.1%	59.0%
CI	46.1–63.9	41.2–61.4	37.8–78.9	57.9–76.8	51.6–66.0
Perceived choice about sexual orientation
No choice at all	88.0% a	68.4% b	38.3% bc	40.6% c	60.6%
CI	80.6–92.8	57.8–77.4	21.8–57.9	30.1–52.0	52.6–68.1
Small amount	6.9%	15.2%	22.4%	15.2%	14.2%
CI	3.2–14.1	9.6–23.3	8.6–46.9	9.6–23.1	9.2–21.3
Fair amount/Great deal	5.2% a	16.4% ab	39.3% bc	44.3% c	25.2%
CI	2.6–9.9	9.3–27.3	20.6–61.9	32.9–56.3	18.4–33.5

Within rows, values with different lowercase letters differ significantly, as indicated by nonoverlapping confidence intervals. N/A = question not asked