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Women

SheWired's Sex Survey Reveals Age of Coming Out and Getting Down

We recently wrapped up our annual SheWired sex survey, where more than 2,000 of you logged on and divulged your steamiest secrets to us.

Sunnivie Brydum

<p>Sunnivie is an award-winning journalist and the managing editor at <em>The Advocate</em>. A proud spouse and puppy-parent, Sunnivie strives to queer up the world of reporting while covering the politics of equality daily.</p>

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Sunnivie Brydum

sunnivie

May 29 2013 6:10 PM EST

November 08 2024 6:38 AM EST

We recently wrapped up our annual SheWired sex survey, where more than 2,000 of you logged on and divulged your steamiest secrets to us. (Yeah, we like our job…)

While there were a number of interesting results, we thought we'd kick off our recap with some basic demographic information. Just more than 80% of those surveyed identify as lesbian, with 15% saying they're bisexual, and just 1% each identifying as gay men or straight folks.

Most respondents told us they came out between the ages of 18-22, with 35% identifying with that age range. Eighteen percent of you said you came out between 13 and 17 years old, while 15% said you didn't come out until turning 30 or older.

More than 150 people, or 8% of respondents, said they still haven't come out.

While roughly the same percentage who came out between 18-22 had their first same-sex relationship in the same timeline (37% reported having their first gay relationship between 18 and 22), 24% of respondents reported embarking on their first same-sex relationship between the ages of 13-17, though just 18% of respondents said they were out at that time. Comparing results from the two questions, it appears that respondents older than 23 generally came out before having their first same-sex relationship, whereas young people between the age of 13 and 22 had a gay relationship first, then came out second. (Of course, it's possible that people's first relationship coincided with their coming out — we're just playing with the raw data here.)