An online survey of more than 2,000 young people conducted by Oasis Magazine and OutProud, a gay youth organization, found that 10 percent of those who responded were given the courage to be candid about their sexual orientation to their friends and family members by watching the "coming out" episode of Ellen. Some 85 percent also said they logged on to the Net at least once a day, and 68 percent reported that participation in online life helped them to accept their sexual orientation.
The survey results, published today on the Web, indicate that gay and bisexual youth are coming out earlier than those in previous generations - many at age 16. The majority of respondents rated the experience as "overwhelmingly positive."
