On Wednesday, the Supreme Court upheld laws on the books in nearly half of the states which ban “gender-affirming” medical care for transgender minors. To that one might ask, in the span of a dozen years, how did the number of Americans who regard themselves as LGBTQ+ (in which the 'T' stand for transgender) almost triple? Is it something in the water? Among Gen Z individuals, those born between 1997 and 2012, an astounding 23% regard themselves as LGBTQ+.
An Unprecedented Ascension
Of this 23%, most regard themselves as bisexual – attracted to both sexes. Based on findings from a recent Gallop Poll, the younger the Gen Z respondent, the more likely he or she is to identify as LGBTQ+. How does this cohort stack up against other generations?
Among Millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996, slightly more than 14% identify as LGBTQ+. Members of Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, are not nearly as likely to identify as LGBTQ+. They clock in at a little more than 5%. Among Baby Boomers, individual born between 1946 and 1964, only 3% report as such. And, what some people call the silent generation, those born in 1945 or earlier, only 1.8% identify as LGBTQ+. In observing such a massive shift in such a short amount of time, it is difficult to claim that this phenomenon is anything other than a cultural inducement.
Maybe some people in the older generations who felt socially confined and restricted about their sexual identity now feel open to reveal more about themselves and how they feel. Maybe some feel it’s cool or shows enlightenment to claim LGBTQ+ status.
Puzzling and Perplexing
Considering the overall population and this includes all of the above cited generational groups, as of 2024, 9.3% regard themselves as LGBTQ+. Contrast this with 3.5% from a dozen years earlier, in 2012, and clearly something dramatic and likely nonsensical is at play.
Perhaps the ultra-progressive influence of Barack Obama and, following Donald Trump's first term, Joe Biden might have had an impact. Whatever the reasons, the poll bluntly reveals that with each successive generation the likelihood that respondents view themselves as beyond traditional sexual and gender roles as grown markedly.
Social observers note that in the 1950s and 1960s, when children spent more time outdoors and neighbors actually knew one another, prevailing cultural norms ruled the day. As years passed, and children spent more and more time in front of screens – TV, computers, and now cell phones – the influence of progressive broadcasters and progressive internet tech giants grew enormously.
Indoctrination Without End
One might go so far as to say that among Gen Z, the algorithms of those championing Leftist causes have become the dominant factor influencing and impacting their attitudes, perceptions, and lives; what one might call generational brainwashing.
In classrooms across America, on the playground, and during activities after hours, children are indoctrinated in many ways, on many levels. From a very early age, without even understanding the concept, they sense that they must adhere to the politically correct attitudes among peers, on social media, and all places in between.
A glaring example of youth-focused indoctrination sticks out: The occurrence of drag queen story hours, either in the classroom or in libraries, spread rapidly from state to state in the last dozen years. Correspondingly, a minimum of 15 state legislatures are seizing opportunities to ban drag queen shows designed to impact young and otherwise highly susceptible children.
Turning the Tide
Enter the influence and impact of Donald Trump, his administration, his policies, and his public proclamations. This could prove to have a notable impact among Gen Z youth and diminish the percentage of those who identify as LGBTQ+. It will take some doing, however, to overcome the more than one hundred federal laws and regulations propagated by Joe Biden’s puppet masters, who bestowed civil rights protections to people professing to have a diverse gender identity.
No one can say for sure where all of this is heading. Left-leaning social scientists contend that the growing accommodation of LGBTQ+ identities indicates an increasing acceptance of alternative lifestyles. Others maintain that lasting damage to the culture can occur – and is occurring – by such developments.
Donald Trump stated one of the building blocks on the road back to reason, namely common sense, as he prepared to reoccupy the White House: "It will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female."