By Joseph Backholm
Joseph Backholm is Senior Fellow for Biblical Worldview and Political Engagement at Family Research Council. This article appeared in WORLD Magazine on March 16, 2022.
Americans are identifying as LGBT at higher rates than ever before. At least that’s what a recent poll claims. According to Gallup, the number of those who say they are something other than what God designed them to be has risen to 7.1 percent, a more than 100 percent increase from 10 years ago, when Gallup first began asking the question, and a 26 percent increase from just last year.
Unsurprisingly, younger people are significantly more likely to identify as LGBT. Nearly 21 percent of Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2003) claim that identity. A George Barna survey from 2021 reported that 39 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds identify as LGBTQ. Undoubtedly, part of this increase is explained by the perpetual redefinition of terms. Initially, the gay rights movement was defined exclusively by those who were attracted to the same sex. Later, a “B” for bisexual and a “T” for transgender were added, and the circle continues to widen. Oregon Democratic Gov. Kate Brown recently tweeted her support for “all the LGBTQ2SIA+ children and young people.” Almost no one knows what that means, but it’s clear the opportunities to fit under the LGBT umbrella are growing, and a good number of young people, in particular, are seizing the moment.