LGBTQ Tolerance Declining in Millennials

In the current political climate, LGBTQ folks are under constant scrutinization and attack. As the Trump administration forges on a path of stripping away rights that the community has fought so hard for, the millennial generation is getting tired of hearing the constant chatter.

GLAAD just released its annual Accelerating Acceptance 2019 survey, and the results are showing that people who are in the 18-34 age range are steadily declining in acceptance and tolerance for LGBTQ folks.

The new survey reported that 45 percent of millennials stated they were “very” or “somewhat” comfortable across seven different situations: learning a family member is LGBT, learning one’s doctor is LGBT, having LGBT members at one’s place of worship, seeing an LGBT co-worker’s wedding picture, having one’s child placed in a class with a LGBT teacher, seeing a same-sex couple holding hands, and learning one’s child has a lesson on LGBT history in school.

With a significant drop across the board since 2017 by eight percent, from 53 percent to 45 percent, the most decrease in comfort levels were seen in the female population of that age range (64 to 52 percent in the last year). GLAAD held focus groups to get to the root cause of the cultural shift and surmised two reasons why the numbers have slumped.

“The statistics are counterintuitive to what we believe,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, told The Daily Beast. “But if we stop and think about it for a second, newness takes a while to turn into acceptance. They’re interfacing with new gender identities and sexual orientations, so that takes a minute to get used to.”

Ellis went on, “Then, look at this current administration we’re living under, and its culture of hate and discrimination. Those are the two issues at hand here that emerged from the focus groups.”

With a disconnect between perception of progress and the reality of the lives of LGBTQ folks, the gap between the majorities and minorities continues to widen.

“With vile, hate-filled rhetoric coming from the Trump Administration, paired with dozens of LGBTQ policy rollbacks over the last three years, it’s not surprising to see this impact on our millennial generation,” said Sheena Kadi, deputy director of One Colorado.

As the state’s leading advocacy group for LGBTQ folks and their families, One Colorado is all too familiar with the tribulations that continue to arise for queer folks and the significant impact that it has on the community.

“When impressionable youth are bombarded with these negative narratives in news cycles and on social media platforms, we see the corresponding rises in LGBTQ hate crimes, especially against transgender women of color. This report echoes the need for us to continue our work in educating Coloradans on issues that impact the LGBTQ community, to elect pro-equality candidates, and to fight any and all attempts to roll back protections for our community,” said Kadi.

Bullying is a nationwide epidemic; programs like It Gets Better Project and The Trevor Project can attest to that, and teens now more than ever need support from their allies. As younger generations are experiencing the backslide in tolerance and acceptance, the hate and discrimination is the taking lives of our queer youth at an alarming rate. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young, queer people, and LGBTQ youth are four-times more likely than their peers to attempt suicide.

With organizations like GLAAD, One Colorado, and youth-centered LGBTQ advocacy groups, the community must remain hopeful that this downward trend is temporary and the next election cycle will bring more resolutions than problems.