Accounting for 9.3% of Total Population
One in Five Generation Z Adults Identifies as LGBT
"Anti-LGBT Stance Harms Sexual Minorities"
Amid U.S. President Donald Trump signing an executive order to repeal support measures for sexual minorities (LGBTQ+), it has been revealed that the number of Americans identifying as sexual minorities has actually increased. 'LGBTQ+' is a term combining the initials of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and the plus (+) sign is used to encompass various sexual orientations and gender identities not included in the aforementioned categories.
On the 20th (local time), CNN cited the results of a Gallup poll released that day, reporting that the proportion of U.S. adults identifying as sexual minorities increased to 9.3% of the total population. This is a 1 percentage point increase from the 2023 estimate and more than double compared to 2020. Since the survey began in 2012, the figure has risen by a total of 3.5%.
According to the details, Gallup conducted telephone interviews with 14,100 U.S. adults last year. The survey results showed that 85.7% of respondents identified as heterosexual, 5.2% as bisexual, 2% as gay, 1.4% as lesbian, and 1.3% as transgender. Pansexual, asexual, and others accounted for less than 1%.
President Donald Trump has ordered a ban on transgender women participating in women's sports competitions. On February 5 (local time), Yonhap News, citing foreign media including CNN, reported that President Trump signed an executive order on this matter at the White House in the presence of female athletes. AFP·Yonhap News
Notably, sexual minority tendencies were prominent among Generation Z. Among adults born between 1997 and 2006, those identifying as sexual minorities increased from 18.8% in 2020 to 22.7% in 2022. Additionally, the millennial and Generation X groups saw increases of 2 percentage points and 1 percentage point, respectively. Gallup explained that the increase in sexual minorities is highly related to younger generations, who are much more likely than older generations to identify with a gender identity other than heterosexuality.
Jamie Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for sexual minority youth, commented on the survey results, saying, "LGBTQ+ has always been with us, and this suggests that even if laws or policies try to eliminate them, they will continue to exist." Kyla Adia Story, a professor at the University of Louisville, also mentioned, "Those of us who identified as sexual minorities long ago find comfort when younger generations gain the courage to live according to their identities."
CNN reported, "Experts hope that these poll results remind everyone that sexual minorities are our friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors," adding, "While there have been socially and politically progressive movements on this issue in the past, the current administration's anti-sexual minority stance is pointed out to harm sexual minorities." Last month, upon taking office, President Trump declared that the official policy of the U.S. government is to recognize only two genders, male and female, without acknowledging subjective gender identities.
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