A recent Gallup poll has revealed that young adults are even queerer than you’d think — and right-wing politicians are terrified.
A newly published survey conducted in 2022 of over 10,000 adults in the U.S. revealed that an approximate 7.2% of those surveyed identify as LGBTQ+ across all age groups.
When you zero in on Gen Z (specified as young adults born between 1997 and 2004), a whopping 19.7% self-identified as LGBTQ+. That’s right; there was 1 queer young adult for about every 5 Gen Z respondents surveyed.
This is a remarkable uptick from surveys of this kind taken in the past, even as recently as the 2010s. Gallup information from 2017 put the national estimate of LGBTQ+ adults as low as 4.5% (though the number of Gen Z adults at the time was likely too low to draw conclusion from).
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
The conversation of the exponential rise in LGBTQ+ youth always brings with it accusations of young people simply following a trend. The common rebuttal for this is a comparison to the rates of left-handed people skyrocketing in the 20th century as being left-handed stopped being forcibly trained out of children over time. Shockingly, when people start being abused less for having a trait, more of them openly express that trait!
Cruz is planning to crawl back for a third term while legislating for two-term senate limits.
Homophobes on the right have also noticed the right in LGBTQ+ youth in recent years, and the accompanying rise in left-wing politics among young voters. Naturally, they’re running scared.
Voter “reform” (read: suppression) targeting demographics that lean to the left has been a specific focus of the right as of late, and young people are no exception.
In Texas, Rep. Carrie Isaac recently introduced sweeping reform bill HB 2390 that would close all voting locations on college campuses, making voting more inconvenient and less accessible to college age adults (who, don’t drag us, have historically been kind of easy to deter from voting by inconvenience).
If signed, the bill would take effect late this September and affect all university and junior college polling places as designated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
The youth voting initiative MOVE Texas released a statement harshly condemning the bill as the attempt at voter suppression that it is.
They refer to the bill as “one of the most insidious attempts to silence young voters in Texas”:
STATEMENT: MOVE Texas condemns the filing of HB 2390 by Representative Carrie Isaac of Texas House District 73, one of the most insidious attempts to silence young voters in Texas. pic.twitter.com/r5zhVI5qsM
Slaton has finally gotten a crumb of attention for his insane proposal to ban drag from minors, and now he plans to ride those sequined coattails all the way to the top.
Isaac’s bill joins other pieces of legislature introduced by Texas conservatives attempting to get fewer citizens to vote. State Rep. Andrew Murr’s HB 39 aims to bring back the illegal voting penalty to any state jail felony, while our favorite anti-drag gun nut Rep. Bryan Slaton is trying to close Texas primaries by only allowing party affiliates to vote with HB 239.
Isaac’s bill is especially heinous in light of the large LGBTQ+ presence among young adults (and therefore among young adult voters).
This is, of course, not the only legislature introduced to negatively impact queer Americans. The Human Rights Campaign cites a horrifying 315 anti-LGBTQ bills filed in 2022, with many more entering the fray already in 2023.
Many of these bills target LGBTQ+ students, LGBTQ+ youth in relation to drag performers, transgender healthcare for LGBTQ+ minors and more. This new Gallup poll indicates that the kids are alright — but the political climate they’re being subjected to certainly isn’t.
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More to the point of the article, queer is a meaningless word when it isn’t being used as a slur, and it is still a slur in many uses. Anyone can be queer. It is a fad for many people who now call themselves queer. I’ve seen it before. Fickle allies with no skin in the game.
Love/hate for me. They are typically an enemy of my enemy. They also often undermine our chances for victory with extremist and insulting views (see – OK Boomer – above as an example). Love/hate.
The fact that they/them still use Boomer speaks volumes…….what the fuk is a boomer and what the fuk is a Genzee? I’m still wrapping my head around this Cis shit. I can’t wait for the day when all of this dust settles and they/them can move on with they their there we she him’s life!
Right now it’s like someone took a huge leaf blower to the GLB COMMUNITY! MAKE IT STOP!
It has struck me that if non binaries want to be called they them, why don’t they say we our us when addressing their one unit selves? Get to it NBs. It only makes sense. We can’t wait for your next illiterate narcissistic pronoun bomb.
I’m sure the troublesome NBs could find a word that doesn’t incite most of society. Something everyone could agree on rather than force feeding this nonsense down people’s throats. It’s a lousy way to gain acceptance.
It’s also dangerous to the entire LGBT community. Shall we have another murder to prove my point?
I love the young LGBTQ+ people in my life. They are able to live their lives openly and honestly without worrying so much about the judgement of others. It’s what we were fighting for all these years.
“ we older folks fought against for decades, at great personal risk, to be bearing fruit.”
LOL, you spend that last year cheerleading the Republicans “red wave” because you wanted to teach leftists, trans, non-binary people and queers a lesson. You thought we had all gone too far by pushing for basic human dignity. Gen Z is full of those leftist, trans, non-binary and queer people and the showed up at the pulls and crushed your fevered re wave dreams.
You have never fought for squat, you were happy to wave the white flag. Thankfully the future is here to show you the door. Rant and rave against queers and leftists all you want. We won
Cowboy, you have a peculiar way of twisting things. We didn’t get a red wave. I’m happy about that. We did have a red ripple in 2022 and lost the house to fascists. We lost the popular vote in 2022 for the first time in forever. You seem ok with that. That makes you dangerous. But, yeah, keep thinking I’m the enemy.
I hope many strong advocates and political leaders are going to emerge from this willingness of GenZ individuals to embrace who they are. With all these anti-LGTBQ bills, the right wing politicians are trying to move American society back to the 1950s, one hateful bill after another, or if that doesn’t completely work, at least take advantage of a divisive issue that gets out the right-wing base of voters. I know GenZ will fight back!
Yikes! There are a bunch of disappointing comments on this thread. As a Boomer (sorry, abfab) I’m a huge fan of Gen Z – their openness, their leftward tilt, their willingness/desire to break the stultifying molds of the past, etc. A lot of folks on this thread seem to be having issues with breaking those molds. “Queer” was a big time slur when I was a kid, but language evolves, and today I’m proud to call myself queer. To me it’s a better and simpler way of saying “LGBTQ+”. To say I’m queer doesn’t negate that I’m also gay. I’m gay within the queer community. Just as my best friend’s second child is a trans male within the queer community. (FWIW, my friend is a conservative, but totally accepts his son and has totally accepted me for 25 years.)
The concept of “gender” has also evolved, and if someone recognizes both male and female parts within their essential selves and wants to call themselves nonbinary, why in the world should I care? How does it hurt me, why is it any of my business? And since trans people exist why should the creation of the word “cis” bother me? (As an aside, my moderate parents non-judmentally told my brothers and me, when we were quite young, about the first famous transsexual – Christine Jorgensen, who transitioned in the 1950s. Probably because she, like us, was Swedish. In retrospect I’m pleasantly surprised with how matter-of-fact they were about it.)
Bottom line – I wish more of us could open ourselves up to changing language, to acceptance of others who approach the queer experience differently than we did, and to a new generation that is trying to change the world. We Boomers tried to change it, and succeeded in many ways, but then became the generation that elected Reagan, Bush and Trump.
Interesting thoughts. It is not so much about being open. Most of us are open to change. What we reject is changes that are wrong. We agree trans people exist. We support their rights to health care, housing, and jobs, etc.
What we do not agree with it the reinvention of gender as an idea. It isn’t just an idea. There are social constructs built on gender. These need to be challenged and changed in many instances. Gender, however, is not a social construct. By insisting gender is whatever you want it to be blows up the entire dialog about changing social constructs. Demanding a trans woman is a woman is a simpleminded shortcut. It is the basis for every mistake on trans people demanded by the far left, and not even supported by many trans people. A trans woman is not a woman. That is fundamentally something I will ever agree with, not because I do not like trans women, but because it is just plain wrong. So no, I will not go along.
He is the danger, when you build your argument on a lie and you nastily denounce anyone who disagrees, you will ultimately lose. But, you won’t just lose that part of the argument, you will likely lose a lot more. There is now huge backlash against trans people. All these draconian laws are the result. We did not have to go down this dark path.
The other problem is transitioning has been politicized. There is a rush to transition any questioning child. If this did not have real health issues long term for them, I would not care. The social anarchists pushing this deny there are any health issues, which is just plain wrong, especially for children who change their mind. Instead of agreeing that great care is needed when considering transitioning a child, they refuse to discuss it and call anyone suggesting such a discussion is a transphobe. I will never be open to this.
Lastly, I do believe a lot of fem gay boys are being convinced they are girls. I find this homophobic. What needs to be addressed are the social constructs that are damaging to fem boys. Not changing them into girls.
The changing language, for the most part is insulting. Women and trans women works fine. This introduction of CIS is one step away from the derogatory TERF. The non-binary pronouns are unusable, unworkable and self indulgent. So, not I do not support these things being forced on us. The vast majority of people do not support them. They will fail and they will cause our movement a lot of progress because of them and their overreach.
So, I support your openness, I just think you have taken it too far. Maybe I am wrong. That is something you will never hear my opponents say. And that should worry you.
Straight people identify as queer because they don’t want to be thought of as Karens. Being a white straight person in America right now, is the worst thing you could possibly be. It’s congenitally toxic. If you are white and straight, you are the root of all the problems on the planet, so no one wants to identify as white and straight. And you get to claim minority status victimhood without the unpleasantness of actually being a victim of anything. And Gen Z is the most peer-pressured, impressionable and gullible group since Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church. They are all expressing their inner sense of individuality by looking exactly the same as each other. Orange or purple, asymmetrical hair. Groundbreaking.
These numbers don’t mean what you think they mean.
There is an Orwellian undercurrent to the self-enforced silence most people have adopted on these topics. It isn’t good for us. It causes things to metastasize. There is an opportunity for change for the better, however this is not the way to do it.
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troubleme
Queer is a highly offensive homophobic slur. Please stop using it you homophobe!
cheks
The site is literally named Queerty.
Diplomat
Queerty is the name of a web site, queer is a nasty offensive slur that demeans LGBTs. Big difference.
dbmcvey
It’s not. LGBT people have been using “Queer” in a positive way for a good 40+ years now.
Kangol2
@Diplomat, Queerty is based on “Queer,” hello?
LumpyPillows
More to the point of the article, queer is a meaningless word when it isn’t being used as a slur, and it is still a slur in many uses. Anyone can be queer. It is a fad for many people who now call themselves queer. I’ve seen it before. Fickle allies with no skin in the game.
bachy
I love Gen Z!
americontrarian
But do they love you back?
still_onthemark
OK Boomer!
LumpyPillows
Love/hate for me. They are typically an enemy of my enemy. They also often undermine our chances for victory with extremist and insulting views (see – OK Boomer – above as an example). Love/hate.
abfab
The fact that they/them still use Boomer speaks volumes…….what the fuk is a boomer and what the fuk is a Genzee? I’m still wrapping my head around this Cis shit. I can’t wait for the day when all of this dust settles and they/them can move on with they their there we she him’s life!
Right now it’s like someone took a huge leaf blower to the GLB COMMUNITY! MAKE IT STOP!
There, I’m all better now.
LumpyPillows
Abby, let’s get a martini…
abfab
Can we Pills? I’d love that. I’m getting all giddy!
Diplomat
Lumpy
You got me lol
Diplomat
Re: they them
It has struck me that if non binaries want to be called they them, why don’t they say we our us when addressing their one unit selves? Get to it NBs. It only makes sense. We can’t wait for your next illiterate narcissistic pronoun bomb.
bachy
Perhaps the troublesome gentlemen would be more comfortable with “Zee, Zey, Zim”?
Hmmm?
Diplomat
I’m sure the troublesome NBs could find a word that doesn’t incite most of society. Something everyone could agree on rather than force feeding this nonsense down people’s throats. It’s a lousy way to gain acceptance.
It’s also dangerous to the entire LGBT community. Shall we have another murder to prove my point?
Diplomat
I love those new high numbers. Also glad to see higher visibility and more sovereign courage in our youth and LGBTs in general.
LumpyPillows
On t he macro level, I fully agree.
dbmcvey
I love the young LGBTQ+ people in my life. They are able to live their lives openly and honestly without worrying so much about the judgement of others. It’s what we were fighting for all these years.
LumpyPillows
I agree. It is nice to see the homophobia, etc. we older folks fought against for decades, at great personal risk, to be bearing fruit.
Eternal.Cowboy
“ we older folks fought against for decades, at great personal risk, to be bearing fruit.”
LOL, you spend that last year cheerleading the Republicans “red wave” because you wanted to teach leftists, trans, non-binary people and queers a lesson. You thought we had all gone too far by pushing for basic human dignity. Gen Z is full of those leftist, trans, non-binary and queer people and the showed up at the pulls and crushed your fevered re wave dreams.
You have never fought for squat, you were happy to wave the white flag. Thankfully the future is here to show you the door. Rant and rave against queers and leftists all you want. We won
LumpyPillows
Cowboy, you have a peculiar way of twisting things. We didn’t get a red wave. I’m happy about that. We did have a red ripple in 2022 and lost the house to fascists. We lost the popular vote in 2022 for the first time in forever. You seem ok with that. That makes you dangerous. But, yeah, keep thinking I’m the enemy.
Kangol2
Gen Z also is rejecting oppressive organized religion in droves. Keep up the good work, youngsters!
LumpyPillows
On that I completely agree.
Fahd
I hope many strong advocates and political leaders are going to emerge from this willingness of GenZ individuals to embrace who they are. With all these anti-LGTBQ bills, the right wing politicians are trying to move American society back to the 1950s, one hateful bill after another, or if that doesn’t completely work, at least take advantage of a divisive issue that gets out the right-wing base of voters. I know GenZ will fight back!
DennisMpls
Yikes! There are a bunch of disappointing comments on this thread. As a Boomer (sorry, abfab) I’m a huge fan of Gen Z – their openness, their leftward tilt, their willingness/desire to break the stultifying molds of the past, etc. A lot of folks on this thread seem to be having issues with breaking those molds. “Queer” was a big time slur when I was a kid, but language evolves, and today I’m proud to call myself queer. To me it’s a better and simpler way of saying “LGBTQ+”. To say I’m queer doesn’t negate that I’m also gay. I’m gay within the queer community. Just as my best friend’s second child is a trans male within the queer community. (FWIW, my friend is a conservative, but totally accepts his son and has totally accepted me for 25 years.)
The concept of “gender” has also evolved, and if someone recognizes both male and female parts within their essential selves and wants to call themselves nonbinary, why in the world should I care? How does it hurt me, why is it any of my business? And since trans people exist why should the creation of the word “cis” bother me? (As an aside, my moderate parents non-judmentally told my brothers and me, when we were quite young, about the first famous transsexual – Christine Jorgensen, who transitioned in the 1950s. Probably because she, like us, was Swedish. In retrospect I’m pleasantly surprised with how matter-of-fact they were about it.)
Bottom line – I wish more of us could open ourselves up to changing language, to acceptance of others who approach the queer experience differently than we did, and to a new generation that is trying to change the world. We Boomers tried to change it, and succeeded in many ways, but then became the generation that elected Reagan, Bush and Trump.
LumpyPillows
Interesting thoughts. It is not so much about being open. Most of us are open to change. What we reject is changes that are wrong. We agree trans people exist. We support their rights to health care, housing, and jobs, etc.
What we do not agree with it the reinvention of gender as an idea. It isn’t just an idea. There are social constructs built on gender. These need to be challenged and changed in many instances. Gender, however, is not a social construct. By insisting gender is whatever you want it to be blows up the entire dialog about changing social constructs. Demanding a trans woman is a woman is a simpleminded shortcut. It is the basis for every mistake on trans people demanded by the far left, and not even supported by many trans people. A trans woman is not a woman. That is fundamentally something I will ever agree with, not because I do not like trans women, but because it is just plain wrong. So no, I will not go along.
He is the danger, when you build your argument on a lie and you nastily denounce anyone who disagrees, you will ultimately lose. But, you won’t just lose that part of the argument, you will likely lose a lot more. There is now huge backlash against trans people. All these draconian laws are the result. We did not have to go down this dark path.
The other problem is transitioning has been politicized. There is a rush to transition any questioning child. If this did not have real health issues long term for them, I would not care. The social anarchists pushing this deny there are any health issues, which is just plain wrong, especially for children who change their mind. Instead of agreeing that great care is needed when considering transitioning a child, they refuse to discuss it and call anyone suggesting such a discussion is a transphobe. I will never be open to this.
Lastly, I do believe a lot of fem gay boys are being convinced they are girls. I find this homophobic. What needs to be addressed are the social constructs that are damaging to fem boys. Not changing them into girls.
The changing language, for the most part is insulting. Women and trans women works fine. This introduction of CIS is one step away from the derogatory TERF. The non-binary pronouns are unusable, unworkable and self indulgent. So, not I do not support these things being forced on us. The vast majority of people do not support them. They will fail and they will cause our movement a lot of progress because of them and their overreach.
So, I support your openness, I just think you have taken it too far. Maybe I am wrong. That is something you will never hear my opponents say. And that should worry you.
GreekKeys
Straight people identify as queer because they don’t want to be thought of as Karens. Being a white straight person in America right now, is the worst thing you could possibly be. It’s congenitally toxic. If you are white and straight, you are the root of all the problems on the planet, so no one wants to identify as white and straight. And you get to claim minority status victimhood without the unpleasantness of actually being a victim of anything. And Gen Z is the most peer-pressured, impressionable and gullible group since Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church. They are all expressing their inner sense of individuality by looking exactly the same as each other. Orange or purple, asymmetrical hair. Groundbreaking.
These numbers don’t mean what you think they mean.
LumpyPillows
There is an Orwellian undercurrent to the self-enforced silence most people have adopted on these topics. It isn’t good for us. It causes things to metastasize. There is an opportunity for change for the better, however this is not the way to do it.