A Note on Terminology

LGBT is the standard acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. The wording of exit polls and national surveys varies greatly. Some limit themselves to “gay” or “homosexual”; the National Election Pool (NEP) used “gay, lesbian, or bisexual” as its item to measure self-identification or sexual orientation in the 2004 exit polls. Some Harris Interactive polls use “lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.” When referring to specific surveys, we strive to use their language. In this article, we use in the text such terms as LGBT, the lesbian and gay movement, and gay people interchangeably as best fits a decent sense of prose style, and in the data graphics whatever terms were used in the original wordings of the survey questions shown. We strive to be as accurate and inclusive as possible while remaining readable.