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A Lot Of Straight College Students Are Having Gay Sex

Some 25% of female respondents who've had lesbian sex still consider themselves straight.

A new study suggests that many straight college students are having gay sex—especially straight women.

The report, compiled by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Missouri State University, pulled data from a survey of more than 24,000 undergraduate students at American colleges and universities.

Researchers found that a large portion of respondents—a quarter of women, and 1 in every 8.5 men—reported having same-sex sexual encounters, but not identifying as gay or bi.

Dr. Arielle Kuprberg, who co-authored the study, explained that the answers participants gave didn't always seem to line up: "There was a big disconnect between what people said their sexual orientation was and what their actions were," she told Metro U.K.

Researchers found that there were two main reasons participants appeared to dabble in queer sex: experimentation and performance. These college-age respondents were more likely to experiment with their sexuality—and also more likely to engage in "performative bisexuality," or acting in a homoerotic way to elicit the attention of peers. (Notably, performative bisexuality comprised just 12% of the same-sex encounters described by respondents.)

"Not everybody who has same-sex relationships is secretly gay," Kuprberg added.

The team discovered that straight people who'd had gay sex exhibited "more conservative attitudes." About 28% also reported having "strong religious practices and/or beliefs."

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