Reach for the rainbow, as one in five millennials now identify as LGBTQ

A recent study by advocacy group GLAAD has revealed that 20 percent of millennials identify as LGBTQ, and that’s one ever growing rainbow!

Despite the current socio-political climate, which is beginning to see the rights of LGBTQ individuals be stripped back and transgender protection guidelines removed, it was recently reported that more Americans now identify as LGBTQ than ever before.

Now it seems that GLAAD has compiled its own figures, and the results are pretty rad.

According to the organization’s Accelerating Acceptance 2017 report, while only 12 percent of the general population identify as LGBTQ, among millennials (people aged 18-34) that figure jumped to a whopping 20 percent.

In the report, GLAAD suggests that this could be for many reasons, including a positive change toward increased accepting environments.

“Additionally, increased media visibility has, for the most part, led to a greater understanding of LGBTQ people, which has diminished stereotypes and stigma that fuel discrimination, making it generally less challenging for many young people to openly identify as LGBTQ,” the report reads. “In fact, Millennials (people ages 18-34) are more than twice as likely to identify as LGBTQ as the Boomer generation (people ages 52-71), and 56% percent more likely to identify as LGBTQ than Generation X (people ages 35-51).”

Indeed, according to the report, young people were also less eager to accept traditional labels such as gay or straight, male or female. Instead, “millennials appear more likely to identify in terminology that falls outside those previously traditional binaries.”

It seems that young people are more likely to act as allies towards the queer and trans community, with GLAAD noting that acceptance of LGBTQ individuals has reached “historic levels,” mostly, they claim, due to acceptance from millennials. Young people, the report says, are “igniting an identity revolution.”

While GLAAD point out that acceptance is at a high, progress has slowed since the historic SCOTUS ruling of 2015 that saw same-sex marriage legalized in all 50 states. Part of this, however, is attributed to the media coverage of the 2016 presidential election, meaning that LGBTQ individuals became less visible in the mainstream news.

GLAAD’s report comes just months after it was reported that since the legalization of same-sex marriage, teen suicide attempts have fallen by 7 percent.

Despite the shift toward acceptance, if the last few months are anything to go by, it seems that there will be more battles along the way when it comes to fighting for LGBTQ rights; it’s important to remember that the battle for equality is not over.

However, it’s still heartening to see that progress is being made!