Some people do not like the term gay and prefer homosexual , and still others prefer the term queer . Similarly, the derrogative words, fag and dyke , may be used playfully between gays and lesbians. However, there are still plenty of people who do not like these words. Gays and lesbians can not choose their feelings of sexual attraction any more than heterosexuals can. Feelings of sexual attraction become apparent as we age.
Some people become aware of their feelings early in life, while others take longer.
For gay men and lesbians, it may take a lot longer to come to terms with those feelings when they are told every day that those feelings are wrong. It is uncertain how this lie got started, however, scientific studies have shown that it has no basis in fact. The Children's Hospital of Denver, Colorado studied 387 child molestation cases between July 1991 and July 1992. Only one case involved a homosexual man. According to national statistics, over 95 percent of all molestation cases are perpetrated by adult heterosexual men.