More adults in the United States identify as queer or trans than ever before, according to a new HRC report. But the organization is warning that the Trump administration’s attacks on population data collection may threaten public knowledge of changes in sexual orientation and gender identity demographics in the years to come.
The Human Rights Campaign found that 12 percent of adults in the U.S. identified themselves as LGBTQ+, a large increase from Gallup’s most recent estimates of 9 percent.
THe HRC also found that one in five LGBTQ+ adults identify as gender-diverse. And of LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S, 30 percent identified as lesbian or gay, with a whopping 65 percent identifying as bisexual, pansexual or another non-gay/non-straight sexuality.
But, the HRC report also included a warning about the future of access to data like this. Since taking office for his second term in January 2025, Trump’s administration has attacked government collection of data, particularly when it comes to gender and identity.
“Removing LGBTQ+ people from federal data collection does not make our communities disappear; it makes them harder to see, understand, and serve,” the report reads.
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