Abstract Social scientists struggle on how to best operationalize and measure sexual orientation. Depending on the survey, researchers can use self-reports of lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) identity, same-sex partner cohabitation, same-sex sexual attraction, or same-sex sexual behavior. All measures come with their own limitations. To illuminate differences in these measures, this study examines the intersections between self-reported sexual identity, attraction, and behavior among a nationally representative sample of US men and women aged 15–45. I explore how and when the three measures align, examine the determinants of self-identifying as gay or bisexual based on sexual behavior and attraction, and assess gender differences in the patterns. I find that about 20% of women and 10% of men aged 15–45 would comprise the LGB community if it were defined to include those who report at least one of the following: gay or bisexual identity, any same-sex attraction, or same-sex sex in the last year. This is much higher than the 6.4% of women and 3.6% of men aged 15–45 who self-identify as LGB. I conclude with recommendations that can aid in measurement of the LGB population, and discuss implications for using certain measures over others when conducting research on the LGB community.

中文翻译：

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全国代表性的美国男女样本中的性认同，性吸引力和性行为之间的交集

摘要社会科学家们在如何最好地操作和衡量性取向方面挣扎。根据调查的不同，研究人员可以使用有关同性恋，双性恋（LGB）身份，同性伴侣同居，同性性吸引或同性性行为的自我报告。所有措施都有其自身的局限性。为了阐明这些措施的差异，本研究调查了美国15至45岁男性和女性在全国范围内具有代表性的自我报告的性认同，吸引力和行为之间的交集。我将探讨这三种方式的匹配方式和时间，基于性行为和吸引力检查自我确定为同性恋或双性恋的决定因素，并评估模式中的性别差异。我发现，如果LGB社区被定义为包括以下至少一项举报者，则大约20％的女性和10％的男性将组成LGB社区：同性恋或双性恋身份，任何同性吸引力或去年的同性性行为。这远高于自我认同为LGB的15-45岁女性的6.4％和男性的3.6％。最后，我提出了有助于测量LGB人口的建议，并讨论了在对LGB社区进行研究时，使用某些措施对其他措施的影响。