LGBTQ people are coming out at a younger age, and many say society has become more accepting of the queer community over the past decade, according to a new Gallup poll.
Among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender adults, and other non-heterosexual or cisgender respondents, more than two-thirds (71%) said they had shared their identity with someone by age 30. More than half (57%) said they had done so by age 22.
The youngest respondents, aged 18 to 29, came out even earlier, at an average age of 17.
A minority of respondents said they came out until they were 50 or older, and 18% said they had never come out to anyone.
The survey also found that most respondents came to terms with their sexuality and gender identity during adolescence: Nearly half (48%) of respondents identified as LGBTQ by age 14, and 72% said they knew by age 18.
The survey results reflect changing attitudes towards LGBTQ people, with the majority of respondents agreeing that things have improved in recent years.
Another Gallup poll in June found that more than two-thirds of Americans, 69 percent, believe same-sex marriage should be legal, and 64 percent said they believe same-sex relationships are “morally acceptable.”
Additionally, Friday’s survey found that while 70% of adults say societal acceptance and treatment of LGBTQ people has “greatly improved” or “somewhat improved” over the past decade, about a quarter of LGBTQ adults said they had been mistreated or harassed “often” or “sometimes” in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year, while the latest FBI crime report revealed a sharp increase in reported LGBTQ hate crimes.
