Number Of Adults Who Identify As LGBTQ Doubled In The Past Decade

The percentage of the American adults who self-identify as LGBTQ or something other than a heterosexual has increased to a new high of just over 7%, Gallup reported. The percentage was 3.5% in 2012.

Currently, 7.1% of Americans consider themselves to have an LGBTQ identity. The research study asked 12,000 adults about their sexual orientation. Of the adults surveyed, 86.3% said they were straight. Roughly, 6% stated they had no opinion on the matter or refused to say.

Survey Revealed A Trend

While the older generations didn’t see any increase, the younger generations percentage rose significantly. Over 20% of Gen Z adults, those born between 1997 and 1999, identify as LGBTQ. Only 10.5% of millennials and 4.5% of Generation X, and 2.6% of baby boomers identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

“The percentage of Gen Z who are LGBT has nearly doubled since 2017, when only the leading edge of that generation had reached adulthood. At that time, 10.5% of the small slice of the generation who were adults identified as LGBT,” Gallup said.

The research concluded that of all the LGBTQ Americans, nearly 60% identified as bisexual. That percentage translates to roughly 4% of the US population.

Bisexual Status On the Rise

The research study found that the most common LGBTQ status for Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X was bisexual. Older adults, baby boomers for example, were likely to say they were gay or lesbian. Overall, 15% of Gen Z claim to be bisexual, whereas 6% of millennials and 2% of Generation X said they identified as bisexual.

As for the bigger picture of the statistics, 21% of LGBTQ said they were gay, 14% lesbian, 10% transgender, and less than 2% said something else or didn’t elaborate.

“This is a moment in time to rally around. Every day, I witness transgender and non-binary youth thriving in communities everywhere. Yes, there is work to be done, but this community is growing and will continue to grow,” Jen Grosshandler, co-founder of The Gender Cool Project said of new study’s results.

Sarah Kate Ellis, the president & CEO of GLAAD, responded to the study by saying, “Thanks to increases in visibility, representation and equality, more and more LGBTQ Americans are able to come out and live as our authentic selves. But the new data shows that we also have a lot of catching up to do before LGBTQ representation meets the needs of Gen Z, which is now 21% LGBTQ.”

My Thoughts

My mother came out to me when I was 15. Click here to read my story. She lost jobs, friends, and her church turned their back on her over her LGBTQ status. It was rough for many in the early 90s. Thankfully, the political climate has made it safer for gay and bisexual Americans, but there is always room for improvement.

I have several transgender friends. I often feel protective of them because our world isn’t kind to them. They face misgendering and they have to fight for basic rights (such as using the bathroom of their chosen sex). It’s time for a change, and only we can do that.

It’s clear LGBTQ Americans are more comfortable voicing their sexual identity. And this is a great thing. There’s much more work to be done, but the research study proves people are waking up and learning to be comfortable in their own skin and speaking their own truth.

Are you happy about the results of this research study? Don't forget to subscribe to read more of my stories.

****

Originally published on Medium.