Nearly 8% of Gen Z men identify as bisexual

[moonlight]

Nearly One in 10 U.S. Adults Identifies as L.G.B.T.Q., Survey Finds - The New York Times

WWW.NYTIMES.COM

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New data shows a rapid increase in recent years, driven by the young. The Trump administration has recently been rolling back L.G.B.T.Q. initiatives.

I was really stunned by this new Gallup survey on LGBTQ identification. Some interesting stats:

- 7.7% of Gen Z men identify as bisexual, compared to only 2% of millennial men. Gen Z is the first generation where men are more likely to identify as bisexual than gay. 3.6% of Gen Z men identify as gay. Together, that's 11.3% of Gen Z men who are into guys.

- Among all ages and genders, 5.2% identify as bisexual and 3.4% as gay or lesbian.

- 23% of Gen Z identify as LGBTQ (all genders), compared to 14% of millennials, 5% of Gen X, and 3% of baby boomers.

- 22.5% of Gen Z women identify as bisexual, compared to 7.1% of Gen Z women who identify as lesbian or gay. 12% of millennial women identify as bisexual.

Any thoughts on the large percentage of bisexuality among men? Maybe there are way more closeted bi guys out there than I guessed and Gen Z is more likely to be open about it.

I'm skeptical about the large percentage of Gen Z bi women and wonder if there's some stretching of the definition there among some respondents. But I could be wrong.

Edited February 22 by moonlight

[Nightowl]

I can only answer for myself and my own situation but I grew up during a time when anything other than hetero sex was “perversion.” When I applied for my first job in government I had to take a polygraph on which there were questions like “have you ever put your penis in another man’s mouth or anus?” Answer “yes” and you were eliminated. If you did it later and were discovered, you were fired. Once the LGBTQ+ restrictions were dropped, there were a lot more women who came out than men, probably because the agency I worked in was defense/military and heavy peer discrimination was still there. Faced with a NYT survey about sexuality, for the duration of the the decades I worked for the government, even though the LGBTQ+ discrimination ended, I would have answered “no” to anything other than “heterosexual” even though I have always known I am attracted to both sexes. Bottom line: my answers would have skewed the survey and I suspect you are correct that there are a lot more closeted guys out there who would have said “no” because saying “yes” to anything on the LGBTQ+ spectrum would have made it too “real”… These are my own thoughts and experiences on the issue only; nothing scientific.

[marylander1940]

They're just horny, curious and nowadays there's no stigma iIke there used to be.

 

[+ Pensant]

1 minute ago, marylander1940 said:

there's no stigma iIke there used to be.

There was definitely a stigma when I was young, especially when AIDS struck. I identified as straight for economic and social reasons and had a few girlfriends at the time. I suppose I was bi at the time, yet didn’t venture into gay sex until my mid-30s.

[marylander1940]

23 minutes ago, Pensant said:

There was definitely a stigma when I was young, especially when AIDS struck. I identified as straight for economic and social reasons and had a few girlfriends at the time. I suppose I was bi at the time, yet didn’t venture into gay sex until my mid-30s.

and it was still illegal in some states! 

[Nightowl]

1 hour ago, Pensant said:

There was definitely a stigma when I was young, especially when AIDS struck. I identified as straight for economic and social reasons and had a few girlfriends at the time. I suppose I was bi at the time, yet didn’t venture into gay sex until my mid-30s.

I waited until way past my 30’s.  I missed a lot of enjoyment I could have had.

[marylander1940]

2 hours ago, Nightowl said:

I waited until way past my 30’s.  I missed a lot of enjoyment I could have had.

I guess you are on here to make up for the lost time!

[+ Charlie]

I think it may be how Gen Z men define "bi-sexual." If they ever let a guy suck their cock, they may consider that being "bi-sexual," or just fooling around with another guy when there were no women available. For my generation, bi-sexual meant actually desiring to have sex with other men, including getting fucked and sucking. There is also less fear among the young about being identified as bi-sexual than there was years ago when one was more likely to be punished in some way for admitting to being anything other than straight. The rise in identifying as bi may be nothing more than an increase in honesty in surveys about personal behavior.

[Nightowl]

57 minutes ago, marylander1940 said:

I guess you are on here to make up for the lost time!

I am indeed!

[Colton]

7 hours ago, Nightowl said:

When I applied for my first job in government I had to take a polygraph on which there were questions like “have you ever put your penis in another man’s mouth or anus?” Answer “yes” and you were eliminated. If you did it later and were discovered, you were fired. Once the LGBTQ+ restrictions were dropped, there were a lot more women who came out than men

@Nightowl - what year was your first application? 

If people haven’t seen “Fellow Travelers” on Paramount+, I highly recommend it. It is set during the time of the pink scare in DC.  
 

 

[56harrisond]

59 minutes ago, Charlie said:

I think it may be how Gen Z men define "bi-sexual." If they ever let a guy suck their cock, they may consider that being "bi-sexual," or just fooling around with another guy when there were no women available.

My take is that opposite might be true, Gen Z sees such a spectrum of sexual identity that getting head once from a guy/foreplay with a guy is a straight activity, while being bisexual is reserved for having genuine sexual and emotional feelings for both men and women.

 

1 hour ago, Charlie said:

The rise in identifying as bi may be nothing more than an increase in honesty in surveys about personal behavior.

💯 

[CuriousByNature]

1 hour ago, 56harrisond said:

My take is that opposite might be true, Gen Z sees such a spectrum of sexual identity that getting head once from a guy/foreplay with a guy is a straight activity, while being bisexual is reserved for having genuine sexual and emotional feelings for both men and women.

 

💯

And from another perspective, perhaps GenZ has become so aware and sensitive to LGBTQ issues, that they subconsciously assume bisexual identities in order to share the experience beyond what regular ally-ship would require.  I know a couple of GenZ's who have done similar things regarding other historically persecuted groups, and while their heart may be in the right place, it doesn't usually aid their ally-ship in the long run.

[Nightowl]

1 hour ago, Colton said:

@Nightowl - what year was your first application? 

If people haven’t seen “Fellow Travelers” on Paramount+, I highly recommend it. It is set during the time of the pink scare in DC.  
 

 

1978.  I did see Fellow Travelers. Excellent and disturbing.

[Rudynate]

On 2/22/2025 at 12:40 PM, Nightowl said:

1978.  I did see Fellow Travelers. Excellent and disturbing.

Did the position you applied for require a security clearance?

[pubic_assistance]

On 2/22/2025 at 1:18 PM, Charlie said:

The rise in identifying as bi may be nothing more than an increase in honesty in surveys about personal behavior.

That's my impression of the matter.

Bisexuals have long been the "secret society".

I've hooked up with many "str8" married men over the years who would have never identified as anything but straight. So much so that bisexuality was often considered merely a gateway to gay.

[Nightowl]

On 2/24/2025 at 10:30 AM, Rudynate said:

Did the position you applied for require a security clearance?

yes

[Rudynate]

1 hour ago, Nightowl said:

yes

Makes sense.

[Muckah]

My guess is that Gen. Z is far more than 8% bi.  I call myself bi but lean more toward heterosexual than bi.  Probably a 33.333% gay and 60% or so straight.  Not sure about the other 6.666%!  OU!  I don't like that number - meaningless here.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 2/22/2025 at 1:02 AM, moonlight said:

Any thoughts on the large percentage of bisexuality among men?

Gen Z has the largest percentage of men claiming to be women and women claiming to be men.  So, if a man has sex with a woman who claims to be a man then that puts both of them at bisexual, contributing to higher bisexual identity

[Ali Gator]

This is GEN Z men we're talking about. Have you ever had any interaction with them over the past few years ? They ( 8 %) identify as 'bisexual' today. Check on that 8% in June. See how they identify then. 

[+ sniper]

On 2/24/2025 at 10:42 AM, pubic_assistance said:

That's my impression of the matter.

Bisexuals have long been the "secret society".

I've hooked up with many "str8" married men over the years who would have never identified as anything but straight. So much so that bisexuality was often considered merely a gateway to gay.

This. I'm out in the burbs and there's something in the water in the town my gym is in because I swear every last married dad in that gym is down low bi. Not necessarily acting on it, mind you, but checking each other out etc. I thought it was pretty well-established that in prolonged all-male environments something like 35-40% of guys will play. Just most of them don't talk about it. Hell,  when I was younger these guys almost seemed to develop selective mutism when they played. Forget telling you their name, they couldn't even say what they wanted to do.

[+ sniper]

I played for a few years on a gay rugby team that played in the regular "straight" league. I found that in general, the straight teams seemed to do a LOT more "gay" stuff than then gay team. Getting naked at the drinkups, making out.etc. which made me wonder what I'd missed out on by not joining my college team...

[+ sniper]

I could be seeing selection bias at the gym I suppose because many totally straight guys let themselves go. And the bi married guys have added motivation to go to the gym because the locker room/steam/sauna is the only place their wives can't find them.

[Ali Gator]

This article yesterday from 'The Hill' has the percentage at nearly 25% and the writer has his doubts. For some reason, it won't let me link, so here's a copy and paste: 

 

Is nearly a quarter of Gen Z really queer — or is something else going on?

BY JOHN MAC GHLIONN, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 02/28/25 7:00 AM ET

According to a new Gallup report, nearly one in four Gen Z Americans identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer. That’s more than just a statistic — it’s a statement, and a troubling one, for reasons that will become clearer.

Just over a decade ago, the number was a fraction of that. Are young people more open and accepting, or is there something deeper at play? I believe it’s the latter.

Yes, times have changed. Being gay or transgender is no longer the social taboo it once was. However, newfound acceptance alone cannot explain these large numbers. Beneath the surface lies something far more complicated: a growing hunger for an identity in a generation that, paradoxically, has never been more connected yet feels more lost than ever.

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with self-discovery. Every generation has had its phases of rebellion — leather jackets in the 1950s, tie-dye in the ’60s and grunge in the ’90s. But something different is happening now. This isn’t just fashion or music tastes — it’s identity, something once considered deeply personal and relatively stable. Now, it is fluid, marketable, and, crucially, public.

Obviously, social media plays a huge role. In a world where every thought can be broadcast to thousands in seconds, identity is part of a carefully choreographed performance. Declaring a new label becomes content — something to post about, something that earns attention and approval, likes and shares. When being “different” grants you social clout, why settle for being ordinary? The pressure is immense, especially for teenagers whose brains are wired to crave peer acceptance.

Part of this sudden rush to redefine oneself stems from a disturbing broader trend. Specifically, a lack of solid foundations. Previous generations found identity through family, faith, nation or community — anchors that provided stability and a sense of belonging.

However, Gen Z has come of age in a very different world. Religion has lost its influence, with churches emptying and traditional moral frameworks dismissed as outdated. Patriotism, once a unifying force, is often portrayed as naïve or even shameful. Families are more fractured than ever, with high divorce rates, an increasing number of single-parent households and children spending more time raised by screens than by parents.

Real-world communities — neighborhoods where kids once played outside, and families knew each other — have been replaced by transient, disconnected living arrangements where people barely nod at their neighbors.

But it’s not just these traditional pillars that have weakened. The economic landscape has shifted dramatically, leaving many young people feeling disillusioned. Homeownership — the cornerstone of the American Dream — is increasingly out of reach. Stable, long-term jobs have been replaced by gig work and unstable contracts. College, once seen as a pathway to success, now often leads to crushing debt with no guarantee of meaningful employment.

Add to this the constant drumbeat of climate catastrophe, political dysfunction and media narratives painting the future as bleak, and it’s no wonder young people feel utterly disillusioned.

Education, which could and should offer guidance, has, in recent times, become more about pushing ideological viewpoints than fostering critical thinking. Students are encouraged to focus on their feelings and identities rather than developing resilience or a sense of purpose beyond themselves.

 

 

 

[Ali Gator]

CONTINUED:

 

Meanwhile, online media floods them with conflicting messages — be yourself, but also conform to the latest social justice trend; prioritize self-care, but remain hyper-productive; reject traditional roles, but somehow still find meaning in life.

However, placing all the blame on media platforms misses the bigger picture. The identity frenzy is a perfect storm of cultural, economic and existential upheaval. When every traditional structure that once provided meaning has seemingly crumbled, young people are left to grasp at whatever semblance of identity they can find.

Redefining oneself through sexual or gender labels becomes a quick fix — a way to feel part of something, stand out in a crowd or escape the overwhelming sense of hopelessness. But it’s a fleeting fix, like slapping a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.

When identity is used to patch up an existential hole, it rarely works long-term. Labels might offer temporary comfort, but they can’t provide the deep sense of purpose that past generations found in more enduring things. This could explain why rates of anxiety, depression and loneliness remain sky-high among young people — even as they proclaim newfound identities.

Ironically, what was once a form of rebellion has become mainstream. In some social circles, being straight or traditionally gendered is now the “boring” option — the new conformity. It’s less about who someone truly is and more about not wanting to be left out. When everyone around you is changing their label or announcing a new identity, staying the same can feel like you’re missing the party.

This isn’t to say all these young people are faking. Human identity is complex. But when it becomes a bandwagon, something is clearly off.

In the end, maybe the real crisis isn’t about how many Gen Zers identify as LGBTQ — it’s about why so many young people feel the need to reinvent themselves in the first place.

John Mac Ghlionn is a writer and researcher who explores culture, society and the impact of technology on daily life.