Photo via pxfuel, Gallup
February 25, 2021, 3:10 pm
A new report by pollster company Gallup has concluded that the total number of people in the U.S. who identify somewhere on the LGBTQ+ rainbow has increased since its last report in 2017.
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The percentage of queer folks in the country went up from 4.5 percent to 5.6 percent in 2020, reflecting a significantly larger increase than the one from 2012 to 2015.
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This rise is largely contained to younger generations, particularly Generation Z, of which 11.5 percent identify as bisexual compared to 5.1 percent of Millennials and 0.3 percent of Baby Boomers.
Additionally, 1.8 percent of polled Zoomers are transgender, compared to 1.2 percent of Millennials and 0.2 percent of both Generation X and Baby Boomers.
This report has, predictably, sparked a deep fear in the hearts of conservatives, including self-described “theocratic fascist” Matt Walsh.
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“The number of kids who identify as LGBT, especially trans and bisexual, has absolutely skyrocketed,” he tweeted. “If you think this is a natural or organic development, you’re deluded. The media, Hollywood, and the school system actively recruit children into the LGBT ranks.”
Actual experts have already explained many times over the years that the increase among young people identifying as one or more of the LGBTQ+ labels is due to an increase in cultural acceptance for queer people. In reality, the true number of these individuals likely has not risen, it’s just that they feel significantly more safe coming out publicly.
Thanks to internet communities, young people are now often encouraged to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity rather than assuming they’re straight and cisgender. The mainstream media, Hollywood, and schools have, often reluctantly, only followed in the footsteps of this spreading acceptance once they felt it was safe to do so because it was clear that the public was largely okay with it.
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It’s conservatives, and increasingly ultra-conservatives, who are now in the minority opinion on this issue, which is what terrifies them. This also makes it a lot easier to make fun of people like Matt Walsh.
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After teachers stopped beating left-handed kids the number of left-handed people skyrocketed too lmao
—
thottymandias
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I’m open to recruitment but will need some benefits. I could bring a lot to the LGBT ranks so whatever is being offered to regular children to recruit them isn’t going to cut it for me. https://t.co/hy0fBfLYcg
— Will
Menaker (@willmenaker) February 25, 2021
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*First Published: February 25, 2021, 3:10 pm
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