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A new poll has found that more adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender than ever before.
According to a Gallup poll released Wednesday, 5.6% of American adults identify as LGBT. This represents an increase of 4.5%, based on the company’s 2017 data. In 2012, when Gallup started tracking the measure, that number was 3.5%.
For the first time, Gallup also asked respondents to indicate their precise sexual orientation, rather than answering “yes” or “no” as to whether they identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
The poll found that more than half of LGBT adults (54.6%) identify as bisexual, about a quarter (24.5%) as gay, 11.7% as lesbian, and 11.3% as transgender. Another 3.3% used a different non-heterosexual term to describe their sexual orientation, such as queer or loving the same sex. Respondents could give more than one answer, bringing the total to over 100%.
Notably, the generational group that has the highest percentage of people who identify as LGBT is the youngest – Generation Z (born 1997 to 2002) – at 15.9%. This compares to 9.1% of Millennials (born 1981 to 1996), 3.8% of Gen X (born 1965 to 1980), 2% of Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) and 1, 3% of traditionalists (born before 1946).
“One of the main reasons that LGBT identification has increased over time is that younger generations are much more likely to think of themselves as something other than heterosexual,” Gallup said.
Most Gen Z adults who identify as LGBT say they are bisexual (72%), according to the survey. That would mean 11.5% of Gen Z adults in the United States are bisexual, Gallup determined.
The country’s growing LGBT population was not surprising to Samantha Johnson, youth events manager for NYC Pride, which hosts one of the world’s largest annual pride marches.
“We are breaking generational curses” like homophobia in the home and in schools, Johnson told ABC News. “Visibility in the media and events like NYC Pride – these are all contributing factors to these numbers.”
Johnson has witnessed a growing enthusiasm among LGBT youth. In 2017, NYC Pride began welcoming Youth Pride, aimed at people ages 13 to 24, as part of its month-long festivities. This first year attracted 1,500 people, she says. The following year, there were 3,000. In 2019, the free event moved to Central Park, where more than 10,000 people attended.
Last year’s NYC Pride was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Johnson is working to host Youth Pride practically this year on June 26.
“We are here to provide a safe space for this generation to move on to the next generation,” she said.
The latest Gallup poll results were based on over 15,000 interviews conducted in 2020 with Americans aged 18 and over and might be underestimated due to the fact that “older Americans do not want to recognize an LGBT orientation.” , did he declare.
“This poll confirms what we have known for a long time – that the LGBTQ community is powerful and a growing force in the United States and around the world,” Human Rights Campaign Chairman Alphonso David said in a statement. communicated. “Young adults, in particular, feel empowered to publicly claim their identity – a compelling conclusion and validation for past generations of LGBTQ advocates who have long fought for full equality.”
Amid the results, David called on Congress to pass the Equality Act “to ensure consistent and explicit anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in all walks of life.”
Comprehensive legislation, which the Congressional Equality Caucus introduced to the House last week, protects LGBT people from discrimination in the workplace, housing, services and public premises.
President Joe Biden also called on Congress to pass the bill. “No one should ever be discriminated against or live in fear because of who they are or who they love,” he said in a statement.
ABC News’ Tony Morrison and Robert Zepeda contributed to this report.
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