New Poll: 75% of Americans
Support LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Laws
Gallup: More Americans
Than Ever Identify as LGBTQ
Workplace Diversity: Benefits of Hiring LGBTQ People
Infographic: Sexual Orientation in the Workplace
Businesses and Government Officials Should Not
Discriminate Against LGBTQ People
According to The Harris Poll, the majority of Americans
agree that businesses and government officials should
not discriminate against LGBTQ people.
As Kentucky’s Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis may now
realize, most Americans believe that government
officials should not allow their religious beliefs to
stand in the way of issuing marriage licenses to all
couples. A new national survey reveals that Americans
shun this form of discrimination not only by public
officials, but also by businesses that wish to deny
goods or services to lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) people.
A full two-thirds (67%) of Americans, including 78% of
LGBTQ Americans, agreed that a government official
should be obligated to serve all of the public and
perform all duties, regardless of their religious
beliefs. The Out & Equal Workplace survey also confirmed
that 60% of Americans (and 80% of LGBTQ individuals)
believe that business owners should not be permitted to
turn away anyone based on their religious beliefs.
These and other findings were included in the 2015 Out &
Equal Workplace Survey, released today. The annual study
was conducted online between September 9 and 17, 2015,
by The Harris Poll in conjunction with Out & Equal
Workplace Advocates and Witeck Communications, among
2,368 US adults, of whom 304 self-identified as
lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (which
includes an over-sample of gay and lesbian adults).
Launched in 2002, this survey has become a trusted
annual barometer of attitudes surrounding LGBTQ issues
in the workplace and is the longest-running national
survey of its kind. Full results of this study,
including data tables, can be found here.
“These findings makes it clear that a majority of
Americans still believe that fairness and equal
treatment are a birthright for all of us, and that
discrimination against LGBTQ people has no
justification,” said Selisse Berry, Founder, CEO, Out &
Equal Workplace Advocates. “This past year, we saw more
and more business leaders and corporations boldly oppose
discriminatory religious freedom legislation, while
standing up for their workforce and their customers. Out
& Equal takes pride in helping build this positive
foundation for equality across America and around the
world.”
Strong Support for Federal Non-Discrimination
Protections:
The survey also informed respondents that there is no
federal law today that protects someone who is gay or
transgender from discrimination in public accommodations
such as restaurants, hotels and other businesses open to
all the public. When asked if they would support such a
law, 6 out of 10 (62%) Americans agreed, with 44% saying
they “strongly support” a federal law, and, by contrast,
only 14% saying they “strongly oppose” such a law.
In a related question, the survey found that 21% of
Americans believe that LGBTQ people are protected from
being fired because of their sexual orientation or
gender identity in all 50 states, including 12% of LGBTQ
people who share this misconception. However, there is
no such federal law, and today there are only 22 states
with workplace protections based on sexual orientation,
and 19 states that include protections for gender
identity.
State Exemptions for Individual Religious Beliefs:
The survey also touched on the rise of state legislation
that would expand ways to exempt individuals from laws
or regulations that conflict with their religious
beliefs. Forty-five percent of Americans say they oppose
expanding these religious exemptions at the state level,
with just 30% in support. Roughly one out of five,
however, said they still were not sure.
“Americans are debating and learning much about the kind
of society they desire,” said Bob Witeck, President of
Witeck Communications. “The good news is that their
distaste for discrimination seems to be growing, and
this signal is keenly understood in the marketplace and
throughout American life.”

Methodology:
This Harris Poll was conducted online (in partnership
with Out & Equal and Witeck Communications) within the
United States between September 9 and 17, 2015, among
2,368 adults (ages 18 and over), of whom 304
self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender,
and queer (including an over-sample of lesbian and gay
adults). Figures for age, sex, race, education, region
and income were weighted where necessary to bring them
into line with their actual proportions in the
population. In addition, the results for the gay and
lesbian sample were weighted separately based on
profiles of the gay and lesbian population that The
Harris Poll has compiled through many different online
surveys. Propensity score weighting also was used to
adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use
probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of
error which are most often not possible to quantify or
estimate, including sampling error, coverage error,
error associated with non-response, error associated
with question wording and response options, and
post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The
Harris Poll avoids the words “margin of error” as they
are misleading. All that can be calculated are different
possible sampling errors with different probabilities
for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response
rates. These are only theoretical because no published
polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among
those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll
surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the
composition of the adult population. Because the sample
is based on those who agreed to participate in the
Harris Poll, no estimates of theoretical sampling error
can be calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure
of the National Council on Public Polls.
[Source: The Harris Poll, October 2015]
Experiences with Violence
According to data from the 2015 national Youth Risk
Behavior Survey (YRBS), of surveyed LGB students:
--10% were threatened or injured with a weapon on school
property
--34% were bullied on school property
--28% were bullied electronically
--23% of LGB students who had dated or went out with
someone during the 12 months before the survey had
experienced sexual dating violence in the prior year
--18% of LGB students had experienced physical dating
violence
--18% of LGB students had been forced to have sexual
intercourse at some point in their lives.3
MAP: State by State LGBTQ Population Statistics
Advocate Mag: Record Number of Americans Identify as
LGBTQ
Still I Rise: A Look at the LGBTQ Struggle Through
Statistics
America's LGBTQ Community: Eye-Opening Facts and Stats
LGBTQ Wellness: It's All About the Data
GLSEN: National LGBTQ Research and Reports
Nielson: LGBTQ Consumer Report

Survey of LGBTQ Americans
An overwhelming share of America’s lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, and queer adults (92%) say
society has become more accepting of them in the past
decade and an equal number expect it to grow even more
accepting in the decade ahead. They attribute the
changes to a variety of factors, from people knowing and
interacting with someone who is LGBTQ, to advocacy on
their behalf by high-profile public figures, to LGBTQ
adults raising families.
At the same time, however, a new nationally
representative survey of 1,197 LGBTQ adults offers
testimony to the many ways they feel they have been
stigmatized by society. About four-in-ten (39%) say that
at some point in their lives they were rejected by a
family member or close friend because of their sexual
orientation or gender identity. 30% say they have been
physically attacked or threatened. 29% say they have
been made to feel unwelcome in a place of worship.
And
21% say they have been treated unfairly by an employer.
About six-in-ten (58%) say they’ve been the target of
slurs or jokes.

Also, just 56% say they have told their mother about
their sexual orientation or gender identity, and 39%
have told their father. Most who did tell a parent say
that it was difficult, but relatively few say that it
damaged their relationship.
The survey finds that 12 is the median age at which
lesbian, gay and bisexual adults first felt they might
be something other than heterosexual or straight. For
those who say they now know for sure that they are
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, that
realization came at a median age of 17.
[Source: Pew Research Center]
Nielson: State of the LGBTQ Consumer
US Health & Human Services Reports: LGBTQ Health and
Wellbeing
Pew Research Center: Survey of LGBTQ Americans
Info: LGBTQ Research and Reports
Gallup Poll: Adults in US Identifying at LGBTQ
MAP: State by State LGBTQ Population Statistics
LGBTQ People in the US: Select Findings from the
Generations and TransPop Studies

LGBTQ Population Surveys
According to the Williams Institute at the UCLA Law
School, increasing numbers of population-based surveys
in the United States and across the world include
questions that allow for an estimate of the size of the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)
population. This research brief discusses challenges
associated with collecting better information about the
LGBT community and reviews eleven recent US and
international surveys that ask sexual orientation or
gender identity questions. The brief concludes with
estimates of the size of the LGBTQ population in the
United States.
Key findings from the research brief are as follows: An
estimated 3.5% of adults in the United States identify
as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and an estimated 0.3% of
adults are transgender. This implies that there are
approximately 9 million LGBTQ Americans, a figure
roughly equivalent to the population of New Jersey.
Among adults who identify as LGB, bisexuals comprise a
slight majority (1.8% compared to 1.7% who identify as
lesbian or gay). Women are substantially more likely
than men to identify as bisexual. Bisexuals comprise
more than half of the lesbian and bisexual population
among women in eight of the nine surveys considered in
the brief. Conversely, gay men comprise substantially
more than half of gay and bisexual men in seven of the
nine surveys. Estimates of those who report any lifetime
same-sex sexual behavior and any same-sex sexual
attraction are substantially higher than estimates of
those who identify as LGB. An estimated 19 million
Americans (8.2%) report that they have engaged in
same-sex sexual behavior and nearly 25.6 million
Americans (11%) acknowledge at least some same-sex
sexual attraction. Understanding the size of the LGBTQ
population is a critical first step to informing a host
of public policy and research topics. The surveys
highlighted in this report demonstrate the viability of
sexual orientation and gender identity questions on
large national population-based surveys. Adding these
questions to more national, state, and local data
sources is critical to developing research that enables
a better understanding of the understudied LGBTQ
community.
HRC Statistics: Growing Up LGBTQ in America
PBS: LGBTQ America By The Numbers
CDC: LGBTQ Health Statistics
Pew Research Center: Survey of LGBTQ Americans
Wikipedia: LGBTQ Demographics in the US
LGBTQ Wellness: It's All About the Data
Americans Identifying as LGBTQ
--10 million (4.1%)
American adults identify as LGBTQ
--LGBTQ millennials up
from 5.8% in 2012 to 7.3% in 2016
--LGBTQ identification
higher among women
The portion of American
adults identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) increased to 4.1% in 2016
from 3.5% in 2012. These figures, drawn from the largest
representative sample of LGBTQ Americans collected in
the US, imply that more than an estimated 10 million
adults now identify as LGBTQ in the US today,
approximately 1.75 million more compared with 2012.

This
analysis is based on interviews with a random sample of
more than 1.6 million US adults as part of Gallup Daily
tracking. Across the five years of data collection, more
than 49,000 respondents said "yes" when asked, "Do you,
personally, identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, or queer?"
Millennials, defined here as those born between 1980 and
1998, drive virtually all of the increases observed in
overall LGBTQ self-identification. The portion of that
generation identifying as LGBTQ increased from 5.8% in
2012 to 7.3% in 2016. LGBTQ identification remained
relatively stable over the five-year period at 3.2%
among Generation X and declined slightly from 2.7% to
2.4% among baby boomers and from 1.8% to 1.4% among
traditionalists.
Millennials are more than twice as likely as any other
generation to identify as LGBTQ. In 2012, they accounted
for 43% of LGBTQ-identified adults. As a result of their
disproportionate increases in identification since then,
they now account for 58%. Millennials comprise 32% of
the general adult population.
LGBTQ
identification increases are more pronounced in women
than in men. In 2012, 3.5% of women identified as LGBTQ,
comparable to the 3.4% of men. By 2016, LGBTQ
identification in women increased to 4.4% compared with
3.7% among men. These changes mean that the portion of
women among LGBTQ-identified adults rose slightly from
52% to 55%.

Among
racial and ethnic minorities, the largest increases
since 2012 in LGBTQ identification occurred among Asians
(3.5% to 4.9%) and Hispanics (4.3% to 5.4%). Among
whites, the comparable figures are 3.2% to 3.6%. Black
Americans showed only a slight increase from 4.4% to
4.6%, and among "other" racial and ethnic groups, the
increase was from 6.0% to 6.3%.
The
relatively larger increases in LGBTQ identification
among racial and ethnic groups other than white,
non-Hispanics mean that these racial and ethnic
minorities now account for 40% of LGBTQ-identified
adults compared with 33% in 2012. In the general
population, 33% of adults identify their race or
ethnicity as other than white, non-Hispanic, an increase
from 28% in 2012.
The
variations in increases in LGBTQ identification by race
and ethnicity are likely affected by differences in the
age composition of the groups. According to the Gallup
data, the average age of Asian adults in the US is 35,
the youngest among the race/ethnicity groupings. Average
age is 39 among Hispanics, 44 among blacks, 51 among
white adults, and 44 among "other" racial and ethnic
groups. Given the big changes in LGBTQ identification
among millennials, the youngest generation, it's not
surprising that younger racial and ethnic groups report
larger LGBTQ identification increases.
[Source:
Gallup Poll]
HRC Statistics: Growing Up LGBTQ in America
PBS: LGBTQ America By The Numbers
America's LGBTQ Community: Eye-Opening Facts and Stats
CDC: LGBTQ Health Statistics
LGBTQ People in the US: Select Findings from the
Generations and TransPop Studies
Pew Research Center: Survey of LGBTQ Americans
Wikipedia: LGBTQ Demographics in the US
Daily Beast: Just How Many LGBTQ
Americans Are There?

Same-Sex Marriages
Same-sex marriages are on
the rise. Surveys conducted by Gallup over the past year
find that about one-in-ten LGBTQ Americans (10.2%) are
married to a same-sex partner, up from the months before
the high court decision (7.9%). As a result, a majority
(61%) of same-sex cohabiting couples are now married, up
from 38% before the ruling.
Just like
the general public, Americans who identify as lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) are most
likely to cite love as a very important reason for
getting married. In a 2013 Pew Research Center survey,
84% of LGBTQ adults and 88% of the general public cited
love as a very important reason for getting married, and
at least seven-in-ten in both groups cited companionship
(71% and 76%, respectively). But there were some
differences, too. LGBTQ Americans, for instance, were
twice as likely as those in the general public to cite
legal rights and benefits as a very important reason for
getting married (46% versus 23%), while those in the
general public were nearly twice as likely as LGBTQ
Americans to cite having children (49% versus 28%).
[Source:
Pew Research Center]
HRC Statistics: Growing Up LGBTQ in America
PBS: LGBTQ America By The Numbers
America's LGBTQ Community: Eye-Opening Facts and Stats
CDC: LGBTQ Health Statistics
Pew Research Center: Survey of LGBTQ Americans
Wikipedia: LGBTQ Demographics in the US
LGBTQ Wellness: It's All About the Data
Daily Beast: Just How Many LGBTQ
Americans Are There?

LGBTQ Household Demographics
The Census
Bureau's American Community Survey is a giant annual
survey that asks millions of Americans each year several
questions about demographics, economic issues, and
social status. When summarizing the results from the
2013 survey, the Census Bureau released statistics
focusing on same sex couples living together.
Same sex
households tend to be more concentrated in the West,
Southwest, and Northeast. Washington, DC had the highest
rate of same sex households, with 21.3 out of every
1,000 households being headed by a same sex couple.
Same-Sex
Households per 1,000 households:
DC 21.3
VT 11.4
RI 11.1
MA 9.5
ME 8.8
CA 8.5
NH 8.1
DE 7.9
OR 7.8
WA 7.7
NY 7.6
CO 7.6
MD 7.3
AZ 7.2
HA 6.9
NV 6.9
NM 6.9 |
FL 6.7
MN 6.6
CT 6.6
NJ 6.3
UT 5.9
GA 5.9
KY 5.8
MO 5.7
TX 5.7
WI 5.4
IL 5.4
PA 5.3
VA 5.3
WY 5.3
OH 5.2
IN 5.1
NC 5.1 |
MI 4.9
SC 4.7
NE 4.6
TN 4.5
AR 4.4
WV 4.3
LA 4.2
IA 4.0
AK 4.0
AL 3.9
ND 3.8
KS 3.8
SD 3.6
OK 3.6
MS 3.5
ID 3.0
MT 2.8 |
Both
opposite and same sex married couples tend to be older
than unmarried couples. About a quarter of all married
gay couples have the householder (the person responding
to the US Census Bureau's survey) over the age of 65.
Same sex
couples are more likely to have college degrees than
opposite sex couples. Interestingly, while married
opposite sex couples are more likely than unmarried
couples to have bachelor's degrees, the opposite is the
case for gay couples.
Gay
couples also have higher incomes than straight couples.
Married gay couples, with an average household income of
about $115,000, make slightly more money than unmarried
gay couples, whose average is $111,223. For straight
couples, the gap between married and unmarried couples
is much higher. Married straight couples make $101,487
per year on average, compared to just $69,511 for
unmarried straight couples.
[Source:
US Census Bureau]
MAP: State by State LGBTQ Population Statistics
HRC Statistics: Growing Up LGBTQ in America
Advocate Mag: Record Number of Americans Identify as
LGBTQ
Gallup Poll: Same Sex Marriages
Info: LGBTQ Research and Reports
Still I Rise: A Look at the LGBTQ Struggle Through
Statistics
GLSEN: National LGBTQ Research and Reports
Nielson: LGBTQ Consumer Report
LGBTQ Students and Cyber Bullying
Cyber bullying of LGBTQ youth is three times higher than
other student’s experience.
According to statistics from a survey conducted by GLSEN,
LGBTQ youth suffer from cyber bullying:
--42 per cent of LGBTQ youth have experienced cyber
bullying
--25 per cent more than once
--35 per cent receive online threats
--58 per cent say something bad is said to them or about
them online
--33 per cent report sexual harassment online, which is
four times higher than the experience of other students.
--27 per cent of LGBTQ youth do not feel safe online.
--20 per cent report receiving harassing text messages
from other students.

LGBTQ National Statistics: School Climate Survey
--84% of LGBTQ students reported being verbally harassed
(name calling, threats) because of their sexual
orientation.
--82.9% reported that faculty or staff never intervened
or intervened only some of the time when present when
homophobic remarks were made.
--39.1% of LGBTQ students reported being physically
harassed (being shoved, pushed) because of their sexual
orientation.
--44.7% of LGBTQ youth of color report being verbally
harassed because of both their sexual orientation and
race/ethnicity.
--LGBTQ students unable to locate supportive teachers or
staff were more than twice as likely not to plan to
continue their education after secondary school.
--Grade point average for LGBTQ students who cannot
locate any supportive faculty or staff was lower than
LGBTQ students who could locate one or more supportive
school personnel (2.8 versus 3.1).
[Source: National School Climate Survey, Gay, Lesbian &
Straight Education Network, GLSEN, 2003]
Williams Institute: LGBTQ Population Statistics
LGBTQ Bullying Statistics
Gallup Poll: Adults in US Identifying at LGBTQ
Census Bureau Wants LGBTQ Americans to Be Counted
Global Survey: 1 in 5 Young Adults Are Not Straight
Daily Beast: How Many LGBTQ Americans Are There?
LGBTQ People in the US: Select Findings from the
Generations and TransPop Studies
LGBTQ Wellness: It's All About the Data
New Poll: Americans Identifying as LGBTQ More Than Ever
HRC Statistics: Growing Up LGBTQ in America
Time Mag: How Many Americans Are Gay?
Pew Research Center: Key
Findings About LGBTQ Americans
New Poll: 75% of Americans
Support LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Laws
Gallup: More Americans
Than Ever Identify as LGBTQ
CBS News: 1 in 6 Gen Z Adults Identify as Queer
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