One of the most pressing concerns in the United States today is whether and how same-sex relationships affect the health and well-being of individuals, families, and even society.
For example, the rise in nonmarital cohabitation over the past decade has been accompanied by dramatic improvements in the methods and data for studying cohabiting couples.
Sexual Orientation:
Individuals may or may not express their sexual orientation in their behavior. People in same-sex relationships may identify as gay, bisexual, or even occasionally heterosexual.
Likewise, not all bisexual or homosexual people seek same-sex relationships. According to a 1990 study in The Social Organization of Sex, of 131 women and 108 men who described themselves as having same-sex attractions, only 43 men (40%) and 42 women (32%) had engaged in same-sex sexual behavior. In contrast, a Family Pride Alliance survey showed that 50% of gay men had children, 75% of lesbians had children, and even more had heterosexual sex but no children.