More Americans identify as LGBTQ than ever
More Americans than ever are identifying as LGBTQ, a possible signal that people feel safer to openly claim their identity, experts say.
The portion of U.S. adults who identify as other than heterosexual has more than doubled since 2012, according to a Gallup poll released this week. From Generation Z through older Americans, each younger population of people is about twice as likely as the one before it to identify as LGBTQ+.
"As younger generations are growing up with more LGBTQ representation and arguably more acceptance of LGBTQ people, it makes sense that they are also more comfortable to openly claim their LGBTQ identity," said Brandon Robinson, an associate professor and department chair of gender and sexuality studies at the University of California, Riverside.
Should trends continue, researchers said, the share of LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. will exceed 10% within the next 30 years. Read more about the study here.