The average number of sexual partners gay and straight people is 6, busting the myth that gay people are more promiscuous, according to dating website OK Cupid.

OK Cupid has released some fascinating inforgraphics on the sexual habits of gay and straight people in the US and Canada, based on data collected from its 3.5 million users.

Over half of straight women said they had previously had sex with another woman, or they wanted to.

Gay-curious people are more likely to live in Canada or the West Coast of the USA, and less likely to live in the deep South.

Unsurprisingly, lesbians fell into stereotypes when describing their interests, with ‘The L Word’ ‘Tegan and Sara’ and ‘Ani Difranco’ listed as by far the most popular choices.

The data supplied by OK Cupid is in stark contrast to the recent Office of National Statistics report that just 1.5% of people identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB).

However, a follow-up story on BBC 4′s More or Less pointed out that rates of LGB sexual behaviour and sexual desire tend to be significantly higher than rates of self-identity (listen to a podcast of the More or Less episode on 1 October 2010).

Since OK Cupid’s data is based purely on behaviour and desire, it may therefore be a more accurate representation of rates of LGB people in the population.