LGBTQ+ adults coming out earlier now
July 31, 2024Today’s young LGBTQ+ Americans are coming out almost a decade earlier than LGBTQ+ seniors, a shift that indicates greater societal acceptance over the past decade. Despite this, around one in four report experiencing discrimination in the last year.
These insights come from a probability-based Gallup Panel™ survey of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender adults, and those identifying as non-heterosexual or non-cisgender, conducted online from May 1 to May 15. It provides additional context about LGBTQ+ Americans' experiences.
According to ‘Gallup News’, most LGBTQ+ adults knew they were LGBTQ+ at a young age, with 48% realising by age 14 and 72% by age 18. The median age at which LGBTQ+ Americans report recognising their identity is 14.
Image Credit: Canva
For LGBTQ+ adults aged 18 to 29, the median age of knowing they were LGBTQ+ is 14. It is 15 for those aged 30 to 49 and 50 to 64, and 16 for those 65 and older.
After recognising their identity, 71% of LGBTQ+ adults came out before turning 30, including 57% by age 22. About 10% came out later in life, during their 30s (7%), 40s (2%), or at age 50 or older (1%). Eighteen percent have never come out to anyone.
The youngest LGBTQ+ adults, aged 18 to 29, came out at a median age of 17, whereas those aged 30 to 49 and 50 to 64 came out in their early 20s. The median age for those 65 and older is 26.
Comparing when different age groups realised their identity and when they came out, young adults spent the shortest time before coming out (three years) while senior citizens spent the longest (10 years).
Despite generational differences, the three youngest groups most commonly came out between ages 19 and 22, contrasting with adults 65 and older who came out later in their 20s.
While only 5% of gay or lesbian Americans have not come out to anyone, about one in four bisexual adults (23%) remain not out. Due to sample size limitations, Gallup cannot report specific experiences of trans Americans.
Both LGBTQ+ men and women typically came out at age 19, but LGBTQ+ women (14%) were more than twice as likely as LGBTQ+ men (6%) to have come out by age 14.
Seventy percent of both LGBTQ+ adults and U.S. national adults believe societal acceptance and treatment of LGBTQ+ people have “gotten a lot” or “gotten a little” better in the past decade. Younger groups are slightly more optimistic about these positive changes.
However, one in five LGBTQ+ adults feel society's treatment of LGBTQ+ people has "gotten a lot” or “gotten a little” worse.
Reflecting on their own experiences, about one in four LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S.A. reported experiencing poor treatment or harassment “frequently” (5%) or “occasionally” (19%) due to their sexual orientation in the past year. This includes more than a third of gay or lesbian Americans (36%) versus 20% of bisexual adults.
Less than half of all LGBTQ+ adults (45%)—and 28% of gay or lesbian adults—report no poor treatment in the past year.
Two-thirds of LGBTQ+ adults (66%) say the mistreatment they’ve experienced has been “about the same” in the past year compared with previous years. They are about equally likely to report more (15%) or less (18%) mistreatment in the past year as in previous years. However, gay or lesbian people (24%) are twice as likely as bisexual people (12%) to report increased poor treatment or harassment over the same period.
Americans, like those in other countries, have significantly shifted in their views on LGBTQ+ people, including perceptions of the morality of same-sex relations and attitudes towards LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S. LGBTQ+ individuals themselves acknowledge this increased acceptance.
As societal views and treatment of LGBTQ+ people have changed, it has significantly influenced when LGBTQ+ Americans choose to share their identity with others, though it hasn’t affected when they become aware of their personal identity. LGBTQ+ seniors came out almost a decade later than today's young LGBTQ+ adults.
However, these societal changes have not eliminated discrimination, with one in four LGBTQ+ adults reporting such experiences in the past year, particularly gay or lesbian individuals.
Read related myGwork articles here:
Half of Gen Z adults are ‘not fully straight’, sex survey finds
Newer generations of workers more likely to call out gender-based bias in workplaces
Overwhelming Majority Of Generation Z Trans People Only Come Out Online
6 In 10 LGBT+ Europeans Fear Holding Their Partner’s Hand In Public
Keep up to date with the latest myGnews