According to a new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, 28% of Gen Z claim to be LGBTQ. This is the highest percentage to date and continues a trend that goes back at least a decade or more. According to Gallup, the number of Americans who claim to be LGBTQ has more than doubled since 2012. The acceleration has been even higher among Gen Z.  

The pressure and reward for identifying as LGBTQ is so great today that it’s hardly surprising that more youth are doing it. Identifying as gay, lesbian, or trans, is a one-way ticket for otherwise “privileged” youth to join the ranks of “the marginalized,” and therefore greater social acceptance online and in real life.  

Same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria are real for some. But the skyrocketing rates of those identifying as “T” and “Q” indicate Gen Z’s identity confusion is primarily a social contagion—one leading young people away from the truth.