Stonewall has published its new Rainbow Britain report, which, the charity says, paints a picture of a Britain that is ‘becoming a Rainbow Nation’.
The report reveals ‘stark differences’ between the generations – with more younger people identifying as lesbian, gay, bi and trans. In ‘Gen Z’, only 71% of people identify as straight (compared to 91% of ‘Baby Boomers’), and 14% of people identify as bi or pansexual (compared to just 2% of ‘Baby Boomers’).
When the charity asked who people are attracted to, 53% of Gen Z said they were exclusively straight, while 40% have a pattern of attraction that could be described as ‘queer’ (ie outside the scope of exclusively heterosexual attractions between cisgender people). Stonewall says this “Suggests that in a single lifetime we may have travelled from a world in which lesbian, gay, bi and queer relationships were hidden and LGBTQ+ people were criminalised, to one in which we are a thriving and growing community.”
As the UK has seen a steady increase in social acceptance and visibility of LGBTQ+ people, some 39% of the public have a personal friend or family member who is lesbian or gay, 22% have a personal friend or family member who is bi, and 9% have a personal friend or family member who is trans. As more lesbian, gay, bi and trans people feel safe to come out, Stonewall expects these numbers will only rise.
To see the full report, CLICK HERE
