LGBT Activism Faces Shifting Public Sentiment
It seems that the once widely embraced initiatives of LGBT activists are now encountering some turbulence.
For example, recent trends show a decline in support for allowing cross-dressing men into women’s sports and bathrooms, administering surgeries and puberty blockers to minors, and promoting gender ideology in schools. There’s also a noticeable drop in public backing for same-sex marriage.
Corporations that previously championed the rainbow flag and LGBT initiatives are now adopting a more cautious approach—some are even attempting to distance themselves from previous commitments.
Moreover, LGBT activists might be struggling to connect with younger generations. Recent data from the CDC indicates a substantial decrease in non-straight identification among high school students across the U.S.
According to an analysis by San Diego State University’s Jean Twenge, the number of students identifying as LGB significantly dropped in 2025.
To illustrate, the CDC data suggested that in 2023, about 17% of 9th graders identified as non-straight, but that figure fell to just 11% last year. Similarly, there were reductions in other grades, particularly among 10th graders.
12th-graders also experienced a drop, albeit smaller, decreasing from 18% to 16%.
The professor pointed out that the most significant decline was noted among 9th-grade girls. In 2021, about 30% identified as non-straight, but this figure plummeted to 17% last year.
This downward trend in girls can be partly explained by the fading popularity of the “bisexual” identity among this demographic. In fact, only 13% of 9th-grade girls described themselves as “bisexual” in the last year, down from 26% in 2021.
Twenge speculated that this drastic shift in LGB identification among Gen Alpha teens might signal a significant change in cultural attitudes, though it’s hard to predict if it’s a long-term trend or simply a momentary fluctuation.
Meanwhile, Mary Rice Hasson, who leads the Person and Identity Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, commented on social media, suggesting that perhaps people aren’t inherently “born that way.”
Todd Erzen, co-host of BlazeTV’s “Steve Deace Show,” reacted to the statistics about declining teen LGB identification, quipping, “‘Groomers hardest hit.’
