Over 5% of American Adults Identify As LGBT But Some States Much More So Than Others

7.8% In Oregon, Just 4.9% In South Carolina-- Despite Lindsey Graham & The Whole Gay GOP There!

UCLA’s Law School’s Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy released some interesting research by Andrew Flores and Keith Conron this week, Adult LGBT Population in the United States. Before we get into the numbers, I want to say that Flores and Conron used a well-established definition of LGBT that encompasses people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. This definition acknowledges the fluidity and diversity of LGBTQ+ experiences, recognizing that individuals may fall anywhere on the spectrum or even outside of it altogether but that the numbers could be higher due to factors like stigma, including individuals still exploring their identities. Remember, “sexual orientation” refers to whom you are attracted to romantically and/or sexually. It's not about behavior or sexual acts, but about deep-seated feelings and attractions. Gender identity refers to how you understand your own gender, whether it aligns with the sex you were assigned at birth or not. It's a personal, internal sense of self. If you’ve been around the block, you already know that not everyone falls neatly into one category. Some people may identify as bisexual, pansexual, queer, genderfluid, non-binary, or many other terms to describe their unique experiences.

These are the states that have the biggest populations and, predictably, the largest number of people who identify as LGBT.

1- California- 1,549,600 (5.1%)

2- Texas- 1,071,300 (5.1%)

3- Florida- 898,000 (5.5%)

4- New York- 853,600 (5.5%)

5- Pennsylvania- 586,500 (5.8%)

6- Ohio- 557,600 (6.2%)

7- Michigan- 467,300 (6.0%)

8- Illinois- 446,600 (4.5%)

9- Georgia- 402,900 (5.1%)

10- Washington- 398,700 (6.9%)

My guess is that LGBT people live in blue counties (cities) and that Trump counties have few LGBT people. Take Louisiana-- New Orleans is an LGBT mecca-- attracting gay people from all over the south, especially rural Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and eastern Texas. The Trump parishes… not at all. I would guess that North Dakota’s small proportion of LGBT people has a lot to do with so many of them moving to Minneapolis or Denver, where they will feel much more comfortable (and safe). Same with West Virginia, which shows up with just 4.1%— but where Washington DC is very close and very welcoming.

Aside from measuring geography, the study also measured age groups. The older the age demography the fewer people identified as LGBT. And the differences are not minor. 15.2% of Americans between 18 and 24 identify as LGBT. Only 1.8% of Americans over 65 do. Why? Again, just a guess, since the authors don’t include this. Past generations faced harsher societal judgment and legal discrimination against homosexuality and non-binary identities. This could have led many to hide their true identities due to fear of violence, repression, or social ostracization. Although far right politicians like DeSantis and Abbott are working to revive that, their repressive approach hasn’t frightened the younger generations into hiding their identity (yet)— especially not in gay-friendly metropolises like Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa, where young people have grown up in a more accepting environment with greater LGBTQ+ visibility in various aspects of society. This has made them more comfortable acknowledging and exploring their own identities and rejecting the more judgmental rigid binary perspectives of the past.

Exit polls from the 2020 election suggest around 14% of self-identified LGBTQ+ voters voted for Trump (and, homophobic sociopath Mike Pence), primarily LGBT people from rural areas.