Survey: 8 in 10 NON-LGBTQ people in the US support equal LGBTQ rights, an all-time high
An overwhelming majority of NON-LGBTQ people in the U.S. support equal rights for the LGBTQ community, according to a new report released Thursday by GLAAD, the nation’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy group.
Findings of the 2023 Accelerating Acceptance survey revealed an all-time high number of NON-LGBTQ people who express support for LGBTQ equality — despite an unprecedented push by Republican lawmakers in conservative states to target the rights of members of the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender people.
Researchers found that more than eight in 10 U.S. adults (84%) believe sexual and gender minorities should have the same rights as heterosexual and cisgender (nontransgender) people, while a large majority of U.S. adults — seven in 10 — agreed businesses should publicly support the LGBTQ community.
The data seems to contradict recent decisions made by some high-profile businesses, which seemed to reverse
course on their previous support of the LGBTQ community by caving into pressure from ANTI-LGBTQ groups.
“While these results are a clear demonstration that fair and accurate representation in media and journalism have a powerful and measurable effect on the lives of LGBTQ people, America is at a critical juncture when it comes to LGBTQ acceptance and safety,” Sarah Kate Ellis, the organization’s president and CEO, said in a statement shared with the Daily News.
However, even though LGBTQ acceptance has reached never-before-seen levels, the survey also pointed to a lack of familiarity with trans and nonbinary people among NON-LGBTQ adults.
Only three in 10 NON-LGBTQ people said they personally knew a trans person, while half said nonbinary and trans people were new or unfamiliar to them. More than half of those surveyed (55%) said they didn’t understand the dimensions of the LGBTQ community.