I stated the other day that I personally do not know a transgender individuals. I may see one out and about in town or when the Southern Comfort Conference was in Fort Lauderdale, but I can say I do not have one as a friend or an acquaintance. I could have continued and said that I don't know anyone who is asexual, pansexual, or gender fluid. Am I naive? Possibly. Or maybe I am just in my circle, my bubble. So when CBSnews.com posted their story "Millennials Are Less Likely Than Their Elders To Know Someone Who Is Gay," I thought I was not alone. But then I read it and realized it was a play on words.
If you were asked to guess which generation is mostly likely to know someone who is gay or lesbian, you’d probably guess Millennials, right? Most people would. However, a recent GLAAD report reveals that this common assumption is not exactly accurate.
The GLAAD 2017 Accelerating Acceptance report surveyed 2,037 adults — 1,708 of whom self-identified as heterosexual — to offer a generational breakdown on LGBTQ awareness and identification. And the survey found that Millennials are actually less likely to know someone who identifies as gay or lesbian than members of Generation X, Baby Boomers and older Americans.
Now, if you’re thinking, “Wait a minute. That doesn’t sound right,” well, there’s more here than meets the eye.
“While older generations of LGBTQ people (people ages 35+) largely use the words ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ and/or ‘man’ and ‘woman’ to describe their sexual orientation and gender identity respectively,” the report points out, “Millennials (people ages 18-34) appear more likely to identify in terminology that falls outside those previously traditional binaries.”
That means that Millennials are much more likely than their elders to understand both gender and sexuality as spectrums, rather than binaries with only two options. – CBSnews.com
Crap! I'm an elder! I didn't think 42 was too old, but when gay death happens at 30, I guess I am ancient.
So who do theses millennials know?
GLAAD’s 2017 survey also reveals that Millennials are far more likely to openly identify as LGBTQ than members of older generations — 20 percent, compared to 12 percent of Generation X and just 7 percent of Baby Boomers.
Do you fit your age bracket's knowledge?
Do you know more than your fellow age bracket members?
h/t: CBSnews.com