The number of LGBTQ-identifying adults is soaring

[brooklynite]

Source: Axios

One in five Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ — and that number is only expected to go up, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday.

Why it matters: People who identify as LGBTQ could make up 10 to 15% of the adult population "in the not too distant future" as Gen Z and millennials comprise of an increasing share of the adult population, Jeff Jones, the author of the Gallup poll, told Axios.

Driving the news: The percentage of U.S. adults who identify as LGBTQ has doubled over the past decade, from 3.5% in 2012 to 7.1% in 2021.
* Gen Z adults who identify as LGBTQ has increased from 10.5% in 2017 to 20.8% in 2021.
* Millennials, ages 26 to 41, identifying as LGBTQ increased from 5.8% in 2012 to 10.5% in 2021.
* The number of traditionalists (those born before 1946), baby boomers and Generation X adults who identify as LGBTQ has held relatively steady.
* Gen Zers who have turned 18 since 2018 are more likely than older members of Gen Z to identify as LGBTQ, so the number of LGBTQ adults will likely increase as all Gen Zers reach adulthood, Jones said.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/lgbtq-generation-z-gallup-24551003-3bfa-414a-bbef-ff663368c4b5.html

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[ananda]

1. Ermm... 1 in 5 is 20% !

!!!

[Scrivener7]

2. For Gen Z it IS 20%.

[dsc]

3. the number for the older generations is skewed by several factors

One is HIV which devastated the ranks of the gay male population of both the traditionalist and baby boomer populations. It also had a non trivial effect on the ranks of the gen x population as well. Of course, there is the whole scared to be out of the closet thing.

[Bucky]

5. I had a good friend who didn't realize he was gay until age 58

He was a doctor, was happily married, had two wonderful kids... then one day just realized I've got these feelings for men. Anyway, that's how he told the story: a light bulb moment thing.

I wonder if the cis normative weight of cultural identity hasn't left many other adults of his (and my) generation comfortably ensconced in an identity they just didn't ever bother to question.

I mean, any human's sexuality is such a big, diverse, and complicated topic, it only makes sense that as society begins to make more diverse expressions of it permissible, but certainly more people are going to find new ways of expressing themselves.

I'd like to live in a world where we don't have to put any kind of labels on people--just let them explore their own complex humanity as their process unfolds. As long as they recycle we shouldn't care what labels they fit

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. This.

I wonder if the cis normative weight of cultural identity hasn't left many other adults of his (and my) generation comfortably ensconced in an identity they just didn't ever bother to question.

My n is less than 10, but this is definitely a thing.

[LakeArenal]

4. Yay!!!!

[paleotn]

6. Don't let the evilgelicals know about that....

They'll say..."See! It's da gay agenda! Turning our children gay!" The freak out among the gawd botherers will be intense.

[IronLionZion]

7. People are more comfortable being their authentic selves

but wingnuts will claim it's the left brainwashing them or some such nonsense. Just today there was a thread on a public school that took down gay student artwork claiming it was just like the Nazi flag.

[tavernier]

8. I read somewhere that homosexuality has increased

due to Mother Nature attempting to decrease population.
Wow, that is weirdly worded, but you know what I mean. Could this truly be a factor?

[JI7]

9. No , many lgbt have kids. It's more about society being more accepting

with time so people are less likely to hide what they are

[summer_in_TX]

12. Comparative psychology has studied the incidence of homosexuality

in populations. Many species including mammals, birds, and insects seem to have individuals that exhibit a preference for the same sex. Naturalists observed instances in the 1700s at least. When I took a class on it back in the mid-'70s, I know experiments showed that as population density increases, so does the percentage of individuals who exhibit a preference for their own gender.

That could be one adaptive explanation, although there's a lot of mystery surrounding it still.

[Locrian]

15. interesting ...

>>as population density increases, so does the percentage of individuals who exhibit a preference for their own gender

Possibly due to less pressure to procreate as population increases, so people have more freedom?

Not that it's a "choice" or anything just different factors coming to play especially in the more 'repressed" past.

[summer_in_TX]

34. Or a population "relief valve."

A way to reduce the rate of reproduction, given the pressures of overpopulation on food and other resources.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

22. No.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

27. If so, then Mother Nature is more genius than we give her credit for

I don't think it's a big factor with humans but wouldn't surprise me if we found out it was somewhat true with animals.

I'm a big believer that we're going to eventually find that evolution is more complex than simply 'beneficial genes lead to living longer, and hence making more babies'.

I think the environment can affect gene expression, bottom-line.

I also speculate that you're more likely to find 'homosexuals' (esp male) in highly sociable, tournament species. Might have evolved as a way to 'keep the peace' in populations where only a single male has himself a harem of females he mates with and all the rest ... get no trim. Having a certain % of males in the population in this case that aren't interested in breeding would reduce conflict.

I mean, there's SOME evolutionary reason for homosexuality, because everything about all living things HAS one or many of those ... so that's my theory.

[NickB79]

31. Look up Calhoun's Mouse Studies

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-mouse-utopias-1960s-led-grim-predictions-humans-180954423/

It's interesting to say the least. Hopefully not applicable to humans.

[Bucky]

32. You mean opposite of those female frogs spontaneously turning male?

The real drop in fertility rates and developed countries is really a function of economics. It happens across the board in all sorts of developed nations, no matter how urbanized or overpopulated they might be. A certain level of equalized economic opportunity always results in dropping fertility rates.

[Johnyawl]

10. I found this very interesting...

...Millennials, ages 26 to 41, identifying as LGBTQ increased from 5.8% in 2012 to 10.5% in 2021.

My oldest son is 39, he did not identify as LGBTQ (at least not openly) in 2012, but is now.

[FakeNoose]

11. Perhaps there's just more truth-telling now, with fewer repercussions?

[Lonestarblue]

13. I first started thinking about our food supply in connection with autism.

But more recently I’ve wondered about it with reference to percentage changes in LGBTQ. The possible autism connection is the number of chemicals in our foods because processed foods with heavy preservatives could affect fetal brain development. Likewise, much of our meat supply is filled with hormones. How do they affect fetal development? I’m unaware of any studies of pregnant women involving their food choices when pregnant and tracking their children over a period of years to see if there are any correlations to diseases like cancer or to the incidence of autism.

The percentage increase in LGBTQ is more likely due to the freedom to by open and make choices, we do not have the safest foods in the world with so many chemicals and unnatural ingredients. It’s a fact that the US allows far more chemicals in food than the EU countries.

[Crowman2009]

18. Just stop with this Alex Jonestown concocted BS!

Tell us about how the frogs are gay again.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

20. So much garbage science in this post.

[Farmer-Rick]

14. Human sexuality is flexible

We are just starting to realize that.

In many ancient civilizations sexuality was never strictly defined by the sex organs you had. Sexual experiences with same and opposite sex partners were just a part of growing up and considered just part of being a human. And feeling and dressing up like the opposite sex was common. Though actually changing your sex was almost impossible and dangerous before modern medicine.

Not sure why modern civilization has these rigged sexual stereotypes. I suspect religion had something to do with it.

[Ron Obvious]

16. Among Gen Z, it has all the hallmarks of a social contagion.

Particularly among the transgender.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

21. What the fuck is this shit right here.

[Ron Obvious]

26. A dissenting voice of reason

Do grow up.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

29. It's a concept rooted in the politicization of science, not reason.

[Withywindle]

17. I think it's the same reason there are more openly left-handed people now

Less likely to have it beaten out of them in childhood.

I don't believe the numbers are increasing so much as dramatically increased education and acceptance creates a climate where more people feel free to come out, to explore their feelings about sexuality and gender. It's probably roughly the same percentage it's always been - just now there's far less violent repression making people hide their true selves.

One thing I don't see talked about much is the positive change brought about by widespread Internet access. Prior to that, if you were a trans kid in an isolated small town you might never even hear that there's a name for it and there are other people like you. You'd be afraid to say anything. You'd just repress it.

Now, you can join forums and chat groups and talk about this with people all over the world. There's so much more information that you can look up discreetly on your phone or computer, you don't even have to face a librarian or bookseller if you're scared and not ready to talk about it face to face.

I wonder how many LGBTQ kids there were in my rural class in the 70s and 80s, who only knew words like "queer" as an unspeakable insult and something you'd get beaten up for if word got out.

[moriah]

23. My grandpa had it beaten out of him.

The very first time my mom, also a lefty, came home with a ruler bruise....

Oh boy, he went to the school and raised his version of hell -- he never cussed (except perhaps at all-male poker games with people his age) and didn't raise his voice either, but gave them the tongue-lashing of their lives. They then let her write with her left hand, as he'd already taught her how to do some. Never hit her again.

I do believe a lot of it is that the parents of Gen Z kids (or about half of them, at least, depending on the election year) are probably the most accepting of that, and far more than just mine (I'm on the bare edge of GenX) have been proactively telling their kids they'd accept and love them no matter who they loved.

Plus, for example, my dad was bi. But I wasn't supposed to know that. I remember though he always had male friends, some of them openly gay (I was raised calling one couple "uncle and uncle", and don't remember any confusion about it -- they were guys, so they were uncles, and they were a "pair" in my mind just like my "aunt and uncle" people). One he was living with sent me my very first modem -- 1200 baud, he was upgrading to a 2400. (I was 12, and immediately on the local BBSes and unsupervised. Wheee!)

Still, even if it's outdated, the Kinsey Scale is one of the things I remember about human sexuality being on a spectrum. If my generation has been parenting more kids in a way that is affirming, then maybe more kids who would otherwise either keep the secret or try to repress that part of themselves are instead hearing that they will still be loved no matter what.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

25. I was transgendered in the 70's

I had no word to discribe it at all I was not a girl or a boy. I didnt feel comfortable in a female body,but I was not totally male either.

I'll never forget when mom let me buy some official boy clothes in 6th grade. I also bought a pair of black leather boots to go with my vest. A blue shirt with blue pearly metal snaps and dark blue stiff jeans.

I was so happy.

[Sympthsical]

24. It's a very complicated subject

It isn't as simple as is being made out, "People are just being more honest!" Yes, in many cases that is the simple truth.

But there are also cultural questions, particularly within Gen Z. "Queer" today does not mean anything close to what it did even ten years ago. Now there are a thousand different genders, sexualities, etc. that are claimed across social media.

As a 40ish gay man watching it all, I definitely wonder, "How much of this is more openness surrounding orientation, and how much of this a fitting-in-via-trend sort of thing?" A kind of intragenerational cultural cachet being claimed that is often rewarded on social media.

And a lot of it is driven by social media.

But it would take quite a few studies to parse out, "How much of this is orientation and how much of this is cultural?"

I have no idea. Does it matter? Probably not.

I'll be interested to see these same people twenty years from now as adults with careers and families. Just to see how much of it actually stuck vs how much was just a thing to claim at the time.

But I do know with great certainty, this is nowhere near the kind of space where the delicate, nuanced, and thoughtful discussion required around this issue is going to take place. It's not a discussion that goes well under demands of conformative thought. I'm not sure I'd even attempt it.

[moriah]

28. I understand fearing to attempt it.

I don't like to go into the social media factors -- because I honestly don't know how much of it is influencing even the kids currently hitting puberty and older who are not yet 18 (so not polled) but are at least questioning.

Sometimes, however, people either need or come up with words to describe something -- like the word "demisexual" to describe someone who really only starts feeling sexual attraction to someone after they've already developed an emotional bond (I identified with that one, personally, when I heard about it -- but I never saw it as part of the spectrum of human sexuality, just knew that about myself. I could admire the beauty of a shirtless well-muscled man chopping wood, think of statues moving, but zero "tingle".)

Or like my teacher in Paganism who at one point had figured out if anyone asked her path what to answer: she was a "Gaian shamanic ecofeminist post-neo-Jungian reconstructionist". Whole lot of dang words.

Edit to add: just to be clear, I would answer such a poll as that I did *not* identify as LGBTQ+ -- I have lived cishet even if I've had other experiences/attractions, nor is what I learned people had made a word for judged negatively in society (nor really gave me *that* many problems in dating). The label they're asking about in that poll is not mine to claim. I have the cishet privilege.

[Sympthsical]

30. I had a somewhat similar experience not too long ago

I went back to college last year for a career change. As I was walking through the campus library, I saw one of those student group displays. It was a "genderbread" man, and alongside it was a poster listing all the different orientations and genders.

I stood there looking at it for a bit and two things leapt out at me. First, the LGB was off in a corner of the poster, never to be spoken of or highlighted. Second - a lot of what is on that list isn't really a sexuality or gender.

Is demisexual really an orientation that should be highlighted above gay/lesbian/bisexual? Isn't that more of just a personality thing? I moved through the list, and it just seemed unnecessary. Like everyone needed a special word for their "unique" personality traits. This happens a lot with the list of genders outside the binary/nonbinary parts.

It feels like people needed a word to describe their personalities holistically, and it just went on from there. A lesbian friend of my age refers to it all as "gay astrology," which is more amusing than it should be. Once I noticed it on social media, I couldn't stop noticing it. The conversations sound perilously similar. "Oh, you're a Pisces? I'm a Capricorn, so we'd get along!" I wish she had never pointed it out to me.

But I identify as just a boring gay man. Sure, there are all kinds of parts of my personality that could fit into all the different terms being created. But when you drive at the core of who I am - my orientation - I'm a cis gay male oriented towards other men. Even if I veer from that - i.e. dated and slept with women in the past - I'm still gay. My moods shift, my personality shifts, it depends on day or week or month. Sometimes I'm attracted to one thing this month, and next month it's something different. But it doesn't mean I'm a different gender or orientation. It just means my personality is malleable. I think most people's inner life is slightly mercurial in usual ways.

But, it's not my life. People will do what they'll do. As long as I'm left alone to do what I like in these matters, I do not care. I just sometimes feel like I'm Richard Attenborough observing it all. How much of all these terms and identities are actual orientations and how much is just a t-shirt one wears socially? I suppose that is what I'm curious about. But there's no way of knowing outside of seeing in time.

[nvme]

33. Unfortunately, I woke up with a really bad case of The Gay.

My husband has been calling around to see if he can get me into an ER and get me Antibody treatment to help me with my gayness. I have been clutching my pearls worried that when I go to hospital, my shoes and bag will match. I am still a fairly young man in my prime.