No one knows for certain why any individual is gay, but the current thought is that being gay is not a choice. In other words, 5-10% of people experience same-sex sexual attraction or behavior of course, this doesn't speak to what makes people gay. 'Of, pertaining to, or exhibiting sexual desire or behavior directed toward a person or persons of one's own sex.' The simplest answer is to look at the definition of the word 'gay.' The term gay is a synonym for homosexual, which is defined as, 1,2 Estimates as to the number of gay people in the population range from 1-in-20 to 1-in-10, so why are some people gay? Are they gay by choice or is being gay genetic?