The Oklahoman

Poll: A record 5.6% of US adults identify as LGBTQ

- By Susan Miller

A record number of U.S. adults – 5.6% – identify as LGBTQ, an increase propelled by a younger generation staking out its presence in the world, a poll released Wednesday shows.

The survey by Gallup marks more than a 1 percentage point jump from the last poll in 2017 in which 4.5% of adults identified as LGBTQ.

The estimated 18 million adults who identify as LGBTQ represent a continued upward trajectory since Gallup started tracking identifica­tion in 2012, Gallup senior editor Jeff Jones said.

“It reflects what we are seeing in society and the way society is changing,” he said.

One of the biggest headlines in the 2020 poll is the emergence of Generation Z adults, those 18 to 23: 1 in 6, or 15.9%, identify as LGBTQ. In each older generation, LGBTQ identifica­tion is lower, including 2% or less of respondent­s born before 1965.

For the first time, Gallup queried respondent­s on their precise sexual orientatio­n, rather than a simple yes or no on whether someone identified as LGBTQ, allowing more insight into identity, Jones said.

Among LGBTQ adults, a majority or 54.6% identify as bisexual, the poll shows. About a quarter, or 24.5%, identify as gay; 11.7% as lesbian; 11.3% as transgende­r.

Generation Z again leads the way: 72% who identify as LGBTQ say they are bisexual.

There are gender difference­s as well:

• Women are more likely than men to identify as LGBTQ (6.4% vs 4.9%.)

• Women are more likely to identify as bisexual than men (4.3% vs 1.8%.)

Advocates are not surprised to see more young

people identifyin­g as LGBTQ. Ineke Mushovic, executive director of the Movement Advancemen­t Project, cites “generation­al shifts in awareness and acceptance” that havereshap­ed how LGBTQ youths are embraced by families and peers.

“I have had conversati­ons with many older LGBTQ people who break down in tears when they

share their coming- out stories of decades ago – heart-wrenching stories of family rejection, losing parents, losing siblings, losing jobs ,” she said. “Older generation­s grew up during those times when being LGBTQ could land you in jail, or alone or jobless.

“The younger generation­s haven't experience­d this level of fear where often being in the closet felt less like a choice and more like a survival mechanism.”

Parents have created environmen­ts where young people not only feel safe in coming out – but those on the cusp of adulthood can map futures packed with possibilit­ies, something not seen even a generation ago, she said.

LGBTQ representa­tion in communitie­s, media, politics and beyond in recent years is significan­t, said Cathy Renna, communicat­ions director for the National LGBTQ Task Force: “Children are taught prejudice, and when LGBTQ people are part of their lives from the beginning they understand that they can be themselves and are not alone.”

Renna cites a better and “more nuanced” grasp of sexual orientatio­n and gender identity that has enabled LGBTQ youths to celebrate their full selves.

“Young people do not want to check off a box;they want to be able to express themselves authentica­lly and acknowledg­e all their identities,” she said.

The survey comes amid a cautiously optimistic time for the LGBTQ community. President Joe Biden made equality a plank in his campaign, promising an ambitious agenda to advance LGBTQ rights after four years of setbacks and attacks by the previous administra­tion.

Biden has signed executive orders that prohibit workplace discrimina­tion in the federal government based on sexual orientatio­n and gender identity, and he lifted the transgende­r military ban. And he has pledged to sign the federal Equality Act, recently introduced in the House – which provides sweeping protection­s in housing, education, credit and services – in his first 100 days if Congress acts.

The poll numbers give the battle for equality perspectiv­e, Mushovic said.

 ??  ?? LGBTQ supporters gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 8, 2019, as the justices hear three challenges from New York, Michigan and Georgia involving workers who claim they were fired because they were gay or transgende­r. [JACK GRUBER/USA TODAY]
LGBTQ supporters gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 8, 2019, as the justices hear three challenges from New York, Michigan and Georgia involving workers who claim they were fired because they were gay or transgende­r. [JACK GRUBER/USA TODAY]

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