Sharp Increase in Young People Identifying as Trans, Nonbinary, Report Shows

WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES - 2019/10/08: A giant Trans Flag unfurled outside the Supreme Court. 133 protesters were arrested blocking the street across the Supreme Court in an act of non violent civil disobedience, as hundreds of LGBTQ+ advocates convened in Washington, DC for a national day of action as a community response to the landmark Supreme Court hearings that could legalize workplace discrimination, primarily against LGBTQ+ people, on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender presentation. (Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images) , Photographer: Erik McGregor/LightRocket/Getty Images

Ella Ceron, Bloomberg News

Jun 10, 2022

Share

(Bloomberg) -- Young people in the US make up a larger portion of the transgender and nonbinary population than previously understood, a new study finds. 

A new report from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles that analyzed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data found that 42.7% of transgender and nonbinary people in the U.S. are teenagers or young adults. Specifically, 1.4% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17, and 1.3% of young people aged 18 to 24 identify as transgender or nonbinary, compared to 0.6% people overall. It’s a sharp increase from the group’s previous report in 2017, which used different methodology, and estimated that 23% of the the transgender and nonbinary populations were ages 13 to 24. 

Jody Herman, a senior scholar at the Williams Institute and the lead author of the study, said this year’s report paints a clearer picture of the number of transgender and nonbinary youth, given that it is based on CDC data that polled young people directly, while the 2017 report relied on estimates and models. “We did still have to use statistics in order to fill in the gaps” when modelling population estimates in certain states, Herman said, “but it's a better estimate based on more recent, better data.”

The findings suggest that transgender and nonbinary young people are increasingly open about exploring their identities, even in the face of mounting efforts by lawmakers to pass anti-transgender legislation. Many of these laws target young people by restricting access to gender-affirming healthcare, or to facilities and organizations that support their gender identity. 

Gillian Branstetter, a communications strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union, said it’s an “unequivocal good” that an increasing number of people are “coming out and exploring their truth.”

“We shouldn't let baseless fears and open bigotry deny this generation that freedom, and this generation is plainly ready to fight for it themselves,” Branstetter said.

The report also aligns with previous surveys that show young people are more likely than any other age group to know someone who is trans or nonbinary, as well as data that show more than one in five high schoolers and members of Generation Z identify as something other than straight.

“There's a generational difference between older adults and younger adults and youth about knowing people and having people in their personal circles that are trans,” said Herman.

How companies support LGBTQ people will be increasingly important as more young people enter the workforce. A LinkedIn survey of  LGBTQ workers found that 65% of respondents would leave their jobs if they felt they couldn’t express their identity freely.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.