According to new research, people aged 16-24 aka Gen Z are more than twice as likely to identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
The data, which came from the 2021 census and was released by the Office For National Statistics (ONS) earlier this month, surveyed all English and Welsh citizens aged 16 and over. After some 220 years of data collecting, it was the first year that the ONS asked citizens about their gender identity and sexual orientation.
Earlier in January, it was reported that 262,000 people in England and Wales identified as transgender and/or non-binary – 48,000 each as transgender men and women, and 30,000 as non-binary. Meanwhile, 1.5 million people, or 3.2 percent of responders identified their sexuality as gay or lesbian, bisexual, or otherwise existing outside of a heterosexual binary.
As reported by the ONS earlier this week, over half of these responders were part of Gen Z, with 6.91 percent of the age bracket identifying themselves as queer. Most of those specifically identified as bisexual, with 4 percent of Gen Z responders ticking that box.
In a statement shared with PinkNews, 21-year-old Raquel who is an ambassador for queer youth charity Just Like Us and personally identifies as a bisexual cis woman said she was “not surprised to see that the younger populations identify more with LGBTQ+ labels as there is less stigma and knowledge in the area”, but added that it should be equal throughout all age groups.
More broadly, the 2021 census revealed that a majority of the UK’s queer population are women - that is 3.32 percent of women or 830,000 responders identified with a non-hetero sexuality, compared to 3 percent of men which is 706,000 responders.
There were further divides between England and Wales, too – while an almost identical amount of women identified as queer between England and Wales, English men were more likely to be LGBTQ+ than Welsh men; 3.02 percent of the former group identified themselves as queer, compared to 2.65 percent of the latter.
LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall issued a statement saying, “This data will allow national and local government to tailor their services.” The charity called the report a wake-up call for politicians and declared Gen Z to be the Rainbow Generation.
The chief executive of Stonewall Nancy Kelly said that the data reflects a historic step in queer representation. This report is a reminder to the leaders, institutions, and governments that they need to make efforts that truly champion LGBTQ+ communities.
The sentiment was backed by Dominic Arnall – a chief executive at Just Like Us – who said that it is a sad fact that young LGBTQ+ people face disproportionate challenges. They are twice as likely to face bullying as their straight peers.
The new census data comes after Will Young, recently told Channel 4 News that there is currently a “huge amount of misrepresentation of transgender people”.
Will Young has vocalized his support for transgender rights, calling out the Conservative government for stoking fear around the trans community.
The singer appeared on Channel 4 News discussing the findings of the 2021 census on the size of the LGBTQ+ population in the UK, which revealed for the first time how many transgender people there are in the country. According to the census, there are at least 262,000 trans people in the UK, representing 0.5 percent of the population.
Broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked Young if it was fair to say that the issue of transgender rights is politicized “just by the Conservatives”, to which he said: “No, it’s not fair, I agree with you. I think you see it with Labour as well, Lib Dems… I suppose I’m using the Conservatives because they’re in government. But what it does, it creates fear.”
Young also spoke about how he hopes the census results can have a positive impact. “Hopefully, people are more and more encouraged to be themselves and throw off the shackles of a life that perhaps you felt you should lead. We’re all unique, just be yourself and be kind to people.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has reportedly planned to remove transgender people from protection under the 2010 Equality Act and exclude them from a proposed ban on conversion therapy. The UK government is also considering blocking Scotland’s new self-identification law that will make it easier for trans people to change their legal gender.
Young also recently expressed his disappointment in David Beckham for his involvement in the Qatar World Cup based on the country’s notably poor record on LGBTQ+ rights, which was seen to be at odds with Beckham’s status as a “gay icon” and LGBTQ+ ally.
