Michelle Bachmann and the Kinsey Myth
Michelle Bachmann has come under fire for questioning the Kinsey Report’s figure of 10% of the population being homosexual. You can watch the video here. Before I go any farther, I would like to make two things clear. First I have no agenda to defend Bachmann. I know almost nothing about her and have very little interest in American politics. Secondly, I do not have an agenda to diminish the role of the homosexual community in society. Politicians should represent their entire society, heterosexual and homosexual, no matter what the respective percentages.
As I went to various web-sites and blogs covering this story, I saw much outrage that Bachmann would question Kinsey’s 10% but no discussion of the truth of her statement. The truth is that there are some problems with the Kinsey Report. If you know anything of surveys, you will know that including overly large chunks of your survey population from prison inmates and male prostitutes may not give you an accurate picture of the homosexual experiences of the average person in society. Plus, it is not at all clear that Kinsey claimed that 10% of the population was homosexual, but that 10% had experienced something (even if they later rejected it or had been abused) or had at least been propositioned. The actual number of people who would identify as homosexual would more likely by around 5%. A short summary of the issues can be found here. Again, I am not arguing that if the number is only 5% (or less) that homosexuals should lose their rights. My point is that something like the 10% figure has gained such a place in our culture that people do not care about the accuracy of it or the more recent and more scientific surveys that have been done. What is important is that the 10% (even if it is a fiction) is a useful tool for certain agendas. Homosexuals are welcome to fight for their rights, but they should avoid attacking people for being scientifically correct rather than politically correct.
