🎶 ‘I’m coming out…!’ 🎶
When Diana Ross sang those iconic words in 1980, the song instantly became an LGBTQ+ anthem, in the same way James Brown’s ‘Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud’ became a rallying call for the Black community in 1968. Fast forward to 2024 and the landscape of coming out is shifting.
What’s happening?
LGBTQ+ adults are coming out at younger ages. A Gallup survey in the US revealed that the youngest LGBTQ+ adults (18-29) come out at a median age of 17, compared to early 20s for those aged 30 to 64, and 26 for those 65+.
Why the shift?
Today’s youth are recognizing their identities earlier. The median age of self-awareness is 14 for those aged 18-29, 15 for those 30-64 and 16 for those 65+. Plus, 70% of both LGBTQ+ adults and the broader US population agree that societal acceptance has improved over the last decade.
