LGBTQ Americans coming out earlier in life: Gallup

LGBTQ people are coming out at younger ages, according to a new Gallup survey, with many citing greater societal acceptance of the queer community over the last decade. 

Among the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender adults and other nonheterosexual or cisgender respondents, more than two-thirds — 71 percent — said they had shared their identity with others before the age of 30. More than half — 57 percent — said they did so before the age of 22. 

The respondents in the lowest age bracket — those between 18 and 29 — came out even earlier, at a median age of 17.

A small number of respondents said they came out later in life at 50 or older. Eighteen percent said they hadn’t come out to anyone.

The survey also found that most respondents came to terms with their sexuality or gender identity during adolescence. Almost half — 48 percent — said they knew that they were LGBTQ by age 14, and 72 percent reported coming to the realization by the time they turned 18.

The findings reflect changing attitudes toward LGBTQ individuals, something that most respondents agreed had improved in recent years.

A separate Gallup poll in June found that more than two-thirds of Americans — 69 percent — said they believe same-sex marriage should be legal. And 64 percent said they think gay and lesbian relationships are “morally acceptable.”

Additionally, 70 percent of adults in Friday’s survey said social acceptance and treatment of LGBTQ people has “gotten a lot” or “gotten a little” better in the past 10 years, though roughly one-quarter of LGBTQ adults said they had received poor treatment or harassment “frequently” or “occasionally” in the past year due to their sexual orientation.

More than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills were filed this year in state legislatures, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, while the latest FBI crimes report found a sharp rise in the number of reported LGBTQ hate crimes.