Is there some truth to the perception that gay men are promiscuous?

The one night stand culture exists in both gay and straight social scenes. Gay men are more open and direct when it comes to sex, but i wouldnt say that gay men as a whole are more or less 'promiscuous' than straight men.

Stepping Stone wrote: »

I am not a gay man, so I cannot offer any insight into the perceived promiscuity, however I am curious about how it started.

Is it possible that it was because for hundreds of years, homosexuality was by varying degrees illegal/ taboo that it either forced men to think that instead of finding love and happiness and living good quality (emotionally) lives that the best that they could hope for was a fleeting encounter with another person, and that loneliness and desire would increase the likelihood of these encounters, leading to a perception of promiscuity or perhaps, actual promiscuity in the case of individuals?

I would like to think that anyone growing up now can hope, regardless of sexuality that they have as much hope of finding the right person and living the life they want as the next person.

As for casual sex now, there is just an acceptance of it socially. I do wonder if it is actually easier for two people of the same gender to communicate desire (leading to higher success rates) than it is for two people of the opposite sex, based purely on communication and understanding.

I would agree with that. Gay people were forced underground and the only chance of an encounter with the same sex was quick encounters. These could not lead to relationships per se as if you were suspected of being gay you would have been arrested and sent to prison.

i would also agree that if you are looking for casual sex it is easier to communicate that with the same sex than the opposite sex.

Gore Vidal: men are squirters, woman are squatters
For men its a quick climax but woman have to deal with the result and sit on the nest.

Here is an extract from wikipedia on the history of homosexuality during the 1950's and 1960's which summarises the persecution gay people experienced in America around that time, this attitude was also rampant in Europe after WW2.

"Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and police departments kept lists of known homosexuals, their favored establishments, and friends; the U.S. Post Office kept track of addresses where material pertaining to homosexuality was mailed.[12] State and local governments followed suit: bars catering to homosexuals were shut down, and their customers were arrested and exposed in newspapers. Cities performed "sweeps" to rid neighborhoods, parks, bars, and beaches of gay people. They outlawed the wearing of opposite gender clothes, and universities expelled instructors suspected of being homosexual.[13] Thousands of gay men and women were publicly humiliated, physically harassed, fired, jailed, or institutionalized in mental hospitals. Many lived double lives, keeping their private lives secret from their professional ones.

In 1952, the American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) as a mental disorder. A large-scale study of homosexuality in 1962 was used to justify inclusion of the disorder as a supposed pathological hidden fear of the opposite sex caused by traumatic parent–child relationships. This view was widely influential in the medical profession.[14] In 1956, however, the psychologist Evelyn Hooker performed a study that compared the happiness and well-adjusted nature of self-identified homosexual men with heterosexual men and found no difference.[15] Her study stunned the medical community and made her a hero to many gay men and lesbians,[16] but homosexuality remained in the DSM until 1973."