Study: Gay Men Really Are Thinner (& Lesbians Heavier)

No, it's not just a matter of imagination or stereotype: gay men really are thinner, and lesbians burlier, than many others of their gender, according to a new study, reported MSNBC on June 8.

The story reported that, according to researchers, gay men are half as likely to be overweight; lesbians, on the other hand, are twice as likely to be heavier than straights of their own gender. The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health by Boston researchers who based the study on a survey of Massachusetts residents.

The new study took a different tack by broadening the scope of inquiry. Past studies have tended to look at the GLTB community in terms of mental health issues and sexually transmitted infections. But the health needs, and health factors, of GLBTs are far more comprehensive than the stereotypes that are attached to their demographic.

The study's lead author, Northeastern University associate research scientist Kerith Conron, noted, "This may mean that we in the public health community need to come up with more tailored messages to reach these groups, just as car dealers do when they want to reach a specific target audience." Conron is also associated with the Harvard School of Public Health as a research fellow.

Where 21% of heterosexual men are obese, the study found, only 14% of gay men are overweight. Among straight women, 17% are overweight; but the percentage is 26% among lesbians. One possible correlation: both gay men and lesbians smoke more than heterosexuals do.

Another possible correlation is social pressure: much as straight men look for svelt partners, the descriptions of what gay men are looking for in personals ads specify a desire for younger, thinner partners--meaning that gay men both prefer, and are expected to adhere to, a leaner body type. "People in sexual relationships with men--heterosexual women and gay men--get more pressure to look thin and to otherwise conform to attractiveness norms than do people in sexual relationships with women--lesbians and heterosexual men," noted San Diego State University professor of women's studies Esther Rothblum, a professor of women's studies at San Diego State University, who went on to cite a study in which bisexual women said that male partners expected them to be thinner than female partners did.