[ArGee]

Virtually everyone (gay or straight) knows their sexual orientation before their first sexual experience with another person.

I'd be interested in seeing the data on that, and how it is determined. I am aware that most people who talk about their first homosexual encounter talk about being either seduced or molested by an older person.

That is anecdotal, of course, but I know of no one who disclaims it.

Shalom.

[Kahonek]

"I'd be interested in seeing the data on that"

You might check out Bell's 1981 book "Sexual Preference: Its Development in Men and Women." A lot of things have changed since then, but it's a pretty good read for a layperson. Among the findings are that most gay people know their orientation before engaging in sex, and that most of them have their first sexual encounter with someone roughly their own age (although the rate of first sex with an older partner is higher among gay men than among straight men).

There are a great many forces influencing sexual orientation and its disclosure, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions in this area. For instance, while there is a trend toward greater disclosure of homosexuality (or perhaps even greater rates of homosexuality) recently, and kids are having sex at younger ages, there is an even greater tendency for gay people to acknowledge their sexual orientation before engaging in sex these days (perhaps because they understand the issue better).