New study: Gays
are the hippest consumers

Gay men and lesbians are more likely than most adults in the general population to have the latest gadgets that technology has to offer, according to a new survey. Simmons Market Research Bureau, a major pollster of American consumer habits, says its first-ever three-month-long study of gay and lesbian consumer habits found that gays are more likely to enjoy buying new gadgets and more likely to be the first among their friends to have the latest. The study also showed that gays and lesbians dine out at fine restaurants more frequently than their heterosexual counterparts and that they have a collective buying power of over $600 billion per year. The survey also uncovered evidence to support one popular stereotype of gays: It found that they are much more likely than their straight peers to have attended a live theater show. And when they stay home, says the study, they're much more likely to set their TiVo for a program on the A&E channel for viewing on their high-definition plasma television. Simmons plans to conduct and publish its gay and lesbian study twice each year. (Lisa Keen, Sirius OutQ News)