LGBTQ+ acceptance declines in US, according to GLAAD report
LGBTQ+ acceptance has dipped slightly, GLAAD reports (Canva)
Overall support for LGBTQ+ people in the US has declined slightly, a new survey has found.
The latest edition of GLAAD’s Accelerating Acceptance Study revealed that while there remains “sustained supermajority support” for LGBTQ+ Americans, there has been a slight dip compared with the previous year, as well of more reports of discrimination among Gen Z.
The vast majority of those surveyed in the 2024 report – the first was in 2015 – believe LGBTQ+ people should live their lives free from fear (91 per cent) and not be discriminated against (93 per cent).
Ninety-five per cent of those surveyed said schools should be safe and accepting places for all youngsters, while 93 per cent want children to be taught to appreciate and accept other people as they are.
Non-LGBTQ+ people who were surveyed also reported high support for LGBTQ+ friends and family, with 82 per cent saying they would back someone who is lesbian, gay or bisexual, and 77 per cent saying the same about a transgender or non-binary person.
However, overall support is down to 80 per cent from a record high of 84 per cent a year ago. This might be caused by the high numbers of anti-LGBTQ+ bills being passed in various states and anti-queer conspiracy theories which frame the community as deviant.
The report also revealed that 70 per cent of Gen Z adults have faced discrimination based on their gender identity, up from 57 per cent the previous year. This is a larger increase than those facing discrimination based on their sexual orientation, which was 54 per cent this year compared with 49 per cent in 2023.
Previous research has shown Gen Z is the queerest generation ever, with almost half of people aged between 18 and 24 saying they’re “not fully straight”, and coming out younger than ever before.
The report comes at a “monumental inflection point for the LGBTQ community and for our entire country”, GLAAD president and chief executive Sarah Kate Ellis said.
“While acceptance for LGBTQ people remains high, the data this year also sounds substantial alarms about threats to this progress and to freedoms valued by every American.”
This should not come as a surprise, she went on to say. “Extremist politicians, unchecked and enabled in the media, including social media, have relentlessly targeted LGBTQ people with harmful legislative proposals and disinformation campaigns.
“The same lawmakers and extremist judges targeting abortion access, contraception, immigration, voting rights, and free speech, are using the same strategies of fear and disinformation to undermine LGBTQ people and our equality.”
More than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been tabled in states across the country since the beginning of the year and while “the vast majority never make it to law, public debate over a person’s humanity and rights have real-world consequences”, Ellis warned.
“GLAAD urges every voter to review this data and ask yourself: what kind of future do you want for LGBTQ people? Join us to ensure it’s one that is safe, accepting and equal.
“The consequences of apathy and silence are too great. GLAAD’s Accelerating Acceptance Study should continue to inspire and empower all of us to rise up and speak out for everyone’s freedom to be themselves. Our safety, our collective success and the future of our democracy depend on it.”
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