title: Support for a fluid-continuum model of sexual orientation: a large-scale Internet study.
abstract: In a study with 17,785 subjects obtained over the Internet from the United States and 47 other countries, Kinsey's hypothesis that sexual orientation lies on a continuum was supported. Self-identifications of subjects as gay, straight, bisexual, and other corresponded to broad, skewed distributions, suggesting that such terms are misleading for many people. Sexual orientation range-roughly, how much flexibility someone has in expressing sexual orientation-was also measured. The results support a fluid-continuum model of sexual orientation, according to which genetic and environmental factors determine both the size of the sexual orientation range and the point at which an individual's sexual orientation is centered on the continuum.
authors.affiliation: American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, Vista, California, USA. re@aibrt.org
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McKinney
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology