Everybody who can afford it has a survey of one kind or another to justify the use of surveys, from politically inspired issues to marketing experiments. Once upon a time there lived a funny guy whose favorite “survey says” line was: “The latest survey shows that married couples are made up of 50 percent males and 50 percent females.” Of course, this was before the advent of same-sex marriages (maybe not yet in the Philippines), but if funny guy were still with us today, he would’ve designed another survey: How many percent of married heterosexuals would rather switch to a same-sex union?
The world has changed, like the sexes, for now they’re no longer simply M and F, now they’re L (lesbian), G (gay), B (bisexual), and T (transgender), that last category to include subcategories transmale and transfemale. Under the law – what law? – the LGBT community enjoy no rights unique to their station, for same-sex unions are neither recognized nor legal, although the partners are “free” to adopt children under certain circumstances not prescribed or encouraged by law. Adoption proceedings can be extremely tedious and time-consuming.
While waiting for the day when they are wed in the eyes of the judge or mayor who pronounces them wife and wife or husband and husband, same-sex couples seem to be happy and normal together, in their own way. They appear to be no less and no more happy than the average heterosexual couple. Some of them may want a child to “complete” the family unit, some others don’t see the need.
In any case, a global survey – there you go – has found that homosexuals (is this word politically correct?) spend more money than heterosexuals when they travel. The survey was done for tourism purposes, but even when they’re not being tourists, they do spend more on leisure, fashion, food, luxuries, and creature comforts. LGBTs know how to enjoy life, especially when they are not crazy, not married with children, not immortal. Next survey: How many percent of LGBTs believe in life insurance? (Jullie Y. Daza)