Is this the most closeted state in the US?

An analysis of Google search inquiries has revealed in which US state the largest number of people are seeking answers to questions relating to sexuality and gender expression.

The Cultural Currents Institute (CCI) studies trends in public opinion. It says there has been a massive increase in people asking questions about sexuality and gender identity in the US in the last 20 years. This rose from around 6 million in 2004 to 80 million in 2023: An increase of around 1,300 percent.

Presumably, some of this increase is likely due to more people using Google these days than in 2004. However, even in the last five years, searches have more than doubled.

The analysis specifically looked at the five following terms: “Am I gay”, “am I lesbian”, “am I trans”, “how to come out”, and “nonbinary”.

One state, in particular, came top for three of these search terms.

That state was Utah, leading CCI to suggest it’s the “most closeted.”

“This might indicate a significant underlying questioning of identity among its internet users, possibly driven by the conflict between personal feelings and societal expectations.”

Utah has many questioning residents

As is widely known, Utah is one of the more conservative states in the US, with a high population of Mormons, among other Christian denominations.

It’s far from being the most anti-gay state in the US. In a move widely welcomed by advocacy groups, it recently banned conversion therapy on minors. However, ACLU reports lawmakers still debated several pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation this year. Most of them, such as H.B. 209, concerning trans kids and school sports, were passed.

Utah topped the tables for “Am I gay”, “Am I a lesbian”, and “Am I trans”.

Below are the five states which notched up the most “Am I gay” inquiries.

• Utah
• Iowa
• Indiana
• West Virginia
• New Hampshire

Below are the five states that turned up the largest volume of “how to come out” queries.

• Oklahoma
• West Virginia
• Mississippi
• Louisiana
• Kentucky

Despite the hysteria from certain right-wing sources, “Am I nonbinary?” “did not have sufficient data for Google to provide results”. Therefore, the authors just checked Google for any search queries for “nonbinary”.

The following states ranked highest for the term “nonbinary”.

• Vermont
• Oregon
• Maine
• Montana
• Washington

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