As much as conservatives would love to see LGBTQ+ people quietly dissolve into dust, we’re only getting more and more open about our identities. According to recent findings from a Gallup study, the percentage of adults in the United States who identify as LGBTQ+ has actually doubled over the last decade. In 2012, 3.5% of adults identified as LGBTQ+. Today, it’s 7.1%.
Gallup polling predicts that the proportion of openly LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. should exceed 10% in the not-so-distant future, thanks largely to millennials and Generation Z. In short: As more people see LGBTQ+ people getting equal rights and protections, plus positive affirmation on the social level and better social safety nets for queer people, it’s likely and reasonable to assume more people will feel comfortable being open about their identities.
The poll was conducted in 2021 over the phone and included just over 12,000 adults in the U.S. Perhaps unsurprisingly, results varied largely by generation, but perhaps not for the assumed reasons. Baby boomers (folks who are between 58 and 76) come in at 2.6%. The oldest generation polled (those born before 1946) come in at 0.8%. Generation X (people who are between 42 and 57) come in at 4.2%.
Now, in contrast, just over 20% of Generation Z (people born between 1997 and 2003) identify as LGBTQ+. That’s actually more than the percentage of millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996), which comes in at 10.5%. Ratio-wise, in fact, it’s not just more—it’s double.
The idea that younger generations will continue to push the needle toward a more (openly) queer world is not an unusual one. In fact, it’s backed by this very data. For example, the percentage of Gen Z adults who identify as queer has almost doubled since 2017 alone. Young people in Gen Z are more likely to identify as queer than older people in the same generation. This suggests that as young people turn 18 (and are included in polling) we may see younger generations as progressively (openly) queerer.
According to the study, more than half of LGBTQ+ adults identify as bisexual, coming in at 57%. Of those polled, 21% percent are gay, 14% lesbian, and 10% are transgender. Another 4% come in at something else. Broken down further, men are more likely to identify as gay than bisexual, and women are 6% more likely than men to identify as bisexual.
Generationally, 6% of millennials say they are bisexual, while 15% of Generation Z does. Less than 2% of the oldest generations polled (baby boomers, etc.) identify as bisexual. Biphobia is a real and ongoing issue, which is likely to blame here. It’s also possible that older generations grew up not really having a concept of bisexuality (or having only negative associations) so they don’t see it as a “real” identity option even for themselves.
In all of this data, it’s also important to remember that between the HIV/AIDS crisis, people living in the closet, people leaving the country for safer living, and people who simply aren’t going to identify as queer in this sort of polling at all, the numbers are likely somewhat skewed when it comes to older generations. I’m always a little cautious of saying younger generations are queerer, as it feels inaccurate for the fights and struggles of older generations who paved the way for our (relative) safety and freedom today.
For example, we quite literally lose trans people (especially Black trans women and trans sex workers) every year due to violence. We have queer people (again, especially trans people) who are homeless and likely unable to access this sort of study. We have a generation of largely (though not exclusively by any means) trans people, gay men, and bisexual men who died as Republicans shrugged. It’s meaningful to support and celebrate younger generations and their incredible bravery—and to make sure we don't dismiss older folks and their bravery, too.
