16% Generation Z Adults Identify As Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Or Trans

A Gallup poll released on Wednesday surveying more than 15,000 Americans found that 5.6% of adults identify as LGBT, which is up 1.1.% from a similar survey in 2017. The poll also revealed that one in six Generation Z adults identify as LGBT.

Gallup’s poll allowed subjects to give more details about their sexual orientation compared to previous surveys. Instead of asking “yes or no” if a person identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered, subjects were allowed to write their exact orientation.

Among all American LGBT adults, 54.6% identify as bisexual, making it the most common orientation. Among Generation Z adults exclusively, 72% identified as bisexual. Gallup’s poll also identified that women are more likely to identify as bisexual than men. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law produced similar findings. Kerith Conron, director at the Williams Institute said on the trend that “my theory would be it’s more acceptable for girls to identify as bisexual.”

“The policing of young people is particularly pronounced for boys, to be masculine,” Conron explained. “And for girls, to be bisexual isn’t necessarily perceived as a significant deviation from femininity.”

In a steady upward trend, younger generations are more likely to be supportive of or identify as LGBTQ.

Gallup confirms that one of the strongest forces which encouraged LGBT acceptance and identification was the national legalization of same-sex marriage. According to a 2020 poll, two in three Americans agree with the Supreme Court’s ruling that same-sex marriages should be recognized by law.