Accelerating Acceptance 2025 Report

Even as 2025 has brought a surge of attacks and a hostile political climate, the LGBTQ community continues to grow in the U.S. and globally, representing an important and expanding consumer segment.

We are in every community, and so are our allies. Those who love and support us—our friends, families, coworkers, and neighbors—total in the hundreds of millions. Looking at the data, what is clear is that LGBTQ values are American values. Most Americans agree that our community should be able to live our lives free from discrimination and violence. Most of these same Americans believe that the opinions voiced by some politicians give people permission to discriminate and judge others.

Media matters here. A majority of non-LGBTQ adults do not know many members of our community, and when you don’t, the media plays a huge part in creating that familiarity. When people outside of our community see us in the media, their familiarity and comfortability with LGBTQ people grows by double-digits. Most non-LGBTQ people believe everyone deserves to feel represented in media and they are comfortable seeing our community on their screens.

Since 2015, the GLAAD Media Institute’s Accelerating Acceptance survey has been an annual barometer on the state of support for LGBTQ Americans and equality. Below are highlights from this year’s Accelerating Acceptance study.

Key takeaways:

• The LGBTQ community is growing, and we are spending
• Most are supportive of the LGBTQ community
• Non-LGBTQ Americans say they don’t personally know many members of the LGBTQ community
• LGBTQ representation in media is critical in increasing familiarity and comfort with the LGBTQ community
• LGBTQ values are American values
• Our community is facing threats, discrimination, and violence. Most expect that to continue next year.

The LGBTQ community is growing, and we are spending

• 9% of Americans are LGBTQ, representing nearly 25 million adults in our community. (Gallup).
• LGBTQ identification has increased by about 165%, or 2.6x since 2012. (Gallup).
• In the U.S., about one in four American adults in Gen Z (23%) identifies as LGBTQ, while 14% of Millennials, 5% of Gen X, and 3% of Baby Boomers do as well. (Gallup).
• This is not just a U.S. trend. It is happening around the world. (Ipsos Global LGBT+ 2024 Report).
  • Highest identification in:
    • Netherlands 17%
    • Thailand 15%
    • Brazil 14%
    • Canada 13%
    • Great Britain 13%
  • On average across the 26 countries Ipsos surveyed in 2024, 17% of Gen Z (defined here as 1996-2012) are part of the community, followed by 11% of Millennials, 6% of Gen X, and 5% of Baby Boomers.
• LGBTQ consumer spending power is estimated to be $1.4 trillion in the U.S. alone. (LGBT Capital).
• The LGBTQ community has influence across major consumer categories. This means, we are deeply familiar, frequent recommenders across broad social networks, highly trusted, and word of mouth leaders for products and services.  The LGBTQ community over indexes the general population for being influential in many categories, among them:
  • Beauty (151 Index)*
  • Gaming (151 Index)
  • TV Shows (146 Index)
  • Fashion & Clothes (146 Index)
  • New Technology (146 Index)
  • Environmentally Friendly Products (141 Index)
  • Movies (138 Index)
  • Home Electronics (128 Index)

* How to read: LGBTQ adults are 51% more likely to be influential in the Beauty category.

Source: MRI-Simmons 2024 Fall Doublebase USA Survey.

Non-LGBTQ adults say they don’t personally know many members of the LGBTQ community*

• 63% of non-LGBTQ adults say they personally know someone who is gay or lesbian. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 34% of non-LGBTQ adults say they personally know someone who is bisexual. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 22% of non-LGBTQ adults say they personally know someone who is transgender. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 18% of non-LGBTQ adults say they personally know someone who is queer. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 12% of non-LGBTQ adults say they personally know someone who is pansexual. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 11% of non-LGBTQ adults say they personally know someone who is nonbinary. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 10% of non-LGBTQ adults say they personally know someone who is asexual. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).

* numbers will not add to 100% because people can select multiple options.

Most are supportive of the LGBTQ community

• About three in five non-LGBTQ adults (61%) say they are supportive of our community, totaling nearly 150 million people. (MRI-Simmons October 2024 LGBTQ and Gender Identity Study).
• More than seven in ten non-LGBTQ adults say that if someone close to them (like a family member or close friend) told them they were LGBTQ, they would support them. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
  • This includes three in four (73%) non-LGBTQ adults who would support someone close to them who is trans or nonbinary. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 91% of non-LGBTQ U.S. adults agree parents should support and love their children exactly as they are. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 79% of non-LGBTQ adults believe schools should be safe and accepting places for LGBTQ students. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 74% of non-LGBTQ U.S. adults support equal rights for the LGBTQ community. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• On average across 23 countries, 45% of Gen Z women report speaking out when someone is being prejudiced against LGBTQ people, compared to 30% of all adults. (Ipsos Global LGBT+ 2024 Report).
  • Gen Z men are in line with the total (27% vs. 30% speaking out, respectively).
  • Millennial women are slightly more likely to speak out too (35%).

LGBTQ representation in media is critical to increasing familiarity and comfort with the LGBTQ community

• 78% of non-LGBTQ Americans believe everyone deserves to feel represented in media content, such as movies, TV shows or games. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• When non-LGBTQ adults see us in the media, familiarity with our community grows by up to +34%. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• And comfortability interacting with our community in various scenarios in life grows by up to +23%. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• Nearly 70% of non-LGBTQ people believe that the opinions voiced by some politicians are giving people permission to discriminate and judge others. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).

LGBTQ values are American values

• 87% of the most important values to LGBTQ Americans are also the most important values to Americans overall. (MRI-Simmons 2024 Fall Doublebase Study).
• 77% of non-LGBTQ adults believe LGBTQ people are seeking the same things in life as everyone else. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• Nine in ten non-LGBTQ Americans do not think bullying should ever be tolerated in schools. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 87% of non-LGBTQ Americans agree transgender and nonbinary people deserve to live their lives free from violence and discrimination. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 88% of non-LGBTQ Americans believe gay, lesbian, and bisexual people deserve to live their lives free from violence and discrimination. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• 81% believe freedom means we all should be able to believe and behave as we choose, as long as it isn’t hurting anyone else. (GLAAD Pride 2025 Survey).

Our community is facing threats, discrimination, and violence. Most expect that to continue next year.

• In the past year, the ALERT Desk tracked at least 932 anti-LGBTQ incidents across the U.S. – the equivalent of 2.5 incidents every day. This total includes:
  • More than 315 protests, 280+ acts of harassment, 140+ acts of vandalism, 85+ assaults, 60+ propaganda drops, and 20+ bomb threats.
  • At least 84 injuries and 10 deaths in this year’s data from acts of violence motivated by anti-LGBTQ hate.
  • At least 485 incidents (52% of all incidents) directly targeted transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming people and/or cited anti-trans tropes as justification.
  • The ALERT Desk’s findings also show a spike in education-related anti-LGBTQ incidents. At least 270 incidents targeted students, teachers, professors, administrative staff, and librarians, nationwide, especially during school board meetings.
• The LGBTQ community is feeling this deeply.
  • Nearly two in three LGBTQ U.S. adults (64%) say they have personally experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
  • About four in five Gen Z LGBTQ U.S. adults (81%) say they have faced discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
    • Gen Z LGBTQ adults are up to 1.7x more likely to report experiencing this type of discrimination than older generations of LGBTQ adults. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
  • Among LGBTQ adults who are Black, Latine, or AAPI, 61% say they have personally experienced discrimination because of their race or ethnicity. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
• Most LGBTQ adults expect the violence, threats, and discrimination to increase within the next year.
  • Two in three LGBTQ adults (68%) say that violence or threats against LGBTQ Americans are likely going to increase in the next year.
  • Even more Gen Z LGBTQ adults (84%) feel violence and threats will grow in the next year. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
  • Specifically, nearly seven in ten LGBTQ adults (69%) agree that anti-LGBTQ bills and legislation at the state level will lead to increased discrimination and violence against the LGBTQ community, in line with views from last year. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
  • Regardless of age, region, race or ethnicity, decisive majorities of LGBTQ adults (ranging from 62% to 84%) believe that these anti-LGBTQ state bills and legislation will lead to more discrimination and violence against the LGBTQ community. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).
  • That feeling is particularly pronounced among Gen Z LGBTQ adults; 84% of Gen Z LGBTQ adults agree that anti-LGBTQ state bills will lead to increased discrimination and violence against our community. (Accelerating Acceptance 2025).

Methodology

The Accelerating Acceptance Study was conducted online in January 2025, among a national sample of 2,514 U.S. adults, age 18+, using sample sourced by Cint (who has the world’s largest consumer network for digital survey-based research). Data were weighted to ensure results represent the adult 18+ U.S. population.