Bare all survey of 30,000

A new survey aimed at 16-24 year olds and carried out as a joint initiative between Radio 1, 1Xtra, MTV and Durex indicates that the number of people identifying as lgb is a little higher than the estimate of 6% used in my blog on 29 December 2005. One question asked was "how do you define your sexuality?"

The options given were 'heterosexual', 'homosexual', 'bisexual' and 'experimented'. Ignoring the 'experimented' category, the results show that a total of 9% of men and 7% of women identified as homosexual or bisexual - averaging as 8% of the population identify as lgb.

Some people are unsure of their sexual orientation until they're in their teens, but many people know years earlier and, as the BBC is aware, crushes are common in primary school. Andrew Hayden-Smith, the former children's tv presenter said he must have been five when he realised he was gay.

So based on a figure of 8% I've recalculated the chances of lgb kids in a class of 30. As can be seen, the chances of zero lgb kids in a class of 30 is less than 1 in 10 - in fact, based on this latest survey, it's slightly more likely that at least five kids in a class of 30 will be lesbian, gay or bisexual.



The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has pointed out that "groups which tend to be most discriminated against are also likely to have poorer health than the rest of the population," and that "these health inequalities have an impact on opportunities for these groups to improve their lives."

CBBC has gone out of its way to cater for straight kids and encourages primary school romance and dating with a programme called Crush. Now it should put an end to the discrimination and recognise lgb kids as well.