Table 4.
Openness about sexual orientation
| Variable | Gay men | Lesbians | Bisexual men | Bisexual women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age of self-identification | 15.1 a | 18.0 b | 17.5 ab | 19.9 b | 17.3 |
| CI | 14.0–16.1 | 16.5–19.5 | 14.6–20.4 | 18.5–21.4 | 16.4–18.3 |
| Mean age of first disclosure | 20.2 | 21.1 | 21.5 | 21.0 | 20.9 |
| CI | 19.2–21.2 | 19.7–22.4 | 18.6–24.4 | 19.7–22.4 | 20.0–21.7 |
| Out to: | |||||
| Mother | 73.8% a | 81.4% a | 25.0% b | 35.4% b | 52.7% |
| CI | 65.5–80.6 | 73.0–87.7 | 12.2–44.5 | 25.9–46.2 | 45.3–60.0 |
| Father | 60.1% a | 58.0% a | 19.5% b | 22.2% b | 39.8% |
| CI | 50.7–68.9 | 47.6–67.8 | 8.3–39.4 | 15.2–31.2 | 33.2–46.5 |
| Sister(s) (out to one or more) | 82.3% ab | 87.4% a | 56.8% bc | 50.4% cd | 69.1% |
| CI | 73.3–88.7 | 78.2–93.0 | 34.4–76.7 | 36.8–63.9 | 61.7–75.7 |
| Brother(s) (out to one or more) | 84.8% a | 81.5% a | 58.9% ab | 39.1% b | 66.3% |
| CI | 77.1–90.3 | 70.7–89.0 | 35.1–79.2 | 27.4–52.2 | 58.3–73.6 |
| Out to at least one: | |||||
| Distant family member | 80.3% a | 83.2% a | 27.6% b | 53.3% c | 60.3% |
| CI | 80.3–86.9 | 83.2–89.3 | 27.6–47.8 | 53.3–64.6 | 60.3–68.0 |
| Current heterosexual friend | 86.4% ab | 94.2% a | 69.2% b | 84.1% ab | 82.6% |
| CI | 79.3–91.4 | 86.7–97.6 | 51.6–82.6 | 73.1–91.1 | 77.4–86.7 |
| Casual heterosexual friend | 81.6% a | 85.6% a | 49.9% b | 69.1% ab | 70.9% |
| CI | 74.1–87.3 | 77.4–91.1 | 29.2–70.7 | 58.2–78.3 | 63.0–77.7 |
| Prior heterosexual friend | 83.5% a | 89.5% a | 39.8% b | 79.8% a | 71.2% |
| CI | 75.9–89.0 | 81.3–94.3 | 22.7–59.8 | 68.8–87.6 | 61.9–79.0 |
| Coworker | 80.8% a | 77.4% ab | 18.1% c | 56.0% b | 57.8% |
| CI | 72.8–86.8 | 67.5–85.0 | 9.5–31.6 | 43.7–67.5 | 49.3–65.8 |
| Boss or supervisor | 72.8% a | 71.2% ab | 13.8% c | 50.3% b | 50.9% |
| CI | 63.7–80.4 | 60.9–79.7 | 7.0–25.4 | 38.0–62.6 | 43.0–58.8 |
| Mean Summary Score. Extent of outness to: | |||||
| Extended family, heterosexual friends, and acquaintances | 5.40 ac | 5.73 a | 2.52 b | 4.45 c | 4.46 |
| CI | 4.94–5.86 | 5.29–6.17 | 2.12–2.92 | 3.81–5.08 | 4.10–4.83 |
| Coworkers and supervisors | 5.20 a | 4.98 a | 1.78 b | 3.36 c | 3.80 |
| CI | 4.64–5.76 | 4.37–5.58 | 1.23–2.33 | 2.52–4.20 | 3.33–4.27 |
Within rows, values with different lowercase letters differ significantly, as indicated by nonoverlapping confidence intervals. Questions about outness to parents were worded to reflect whether each parent was living or deceased. Questions about outness to siblings were asked only if respondents reported that they had one or more sisters or brothers