Oct. 11 is National Coming Out Day, an observance that dates back to 1988 and is intended to support LGBTQ people in sharing this part of their identity with others.
Today, 96% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer adults in the United States say they have told someone that they are or might be LGBTQ, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in January. Another 3% say they haven’t come out to anyone.
Overall, 8% of U.S. adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to a separate Center survey conducted in summer 2024.
When did LGBTQ Americans first think they might be LGBTQ?
| Younger than age 10 | Ages 10-13 | 14-17 | 18-24 | 25+ | Haven’t told anyone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felt they might be | 25 | 33 | 24 | 11 | 6 | — |
| Told someone they were or might be | 2 | 12 | 29 | 34 | 17 | 3 |
A broad majority of LGBTQ Americans (82%) say they first felt they might be lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer or transgender before age 18. This includes 58% who say they first felt this way before age 14.
Lesbian or gay adults are the most likely to say they were aware of their identity at a young age. For example, 71% in this group say they were aware before age 14, compared with 58% of transgender adults and 50% of bisexual adults.
There are also some differences by gender:
- Among gay and lesbian Americans, men are more likely than women to say they thought they might be gay or lesbian before age 14.
- Among bisexual Americans, women are more likely than men to say they thought they might be bisexual before age 14.
There were not enough transgender Americans in our survey to explore their answers to this question by gender.
When did LGBTQ Americans first tell someone they were LGBTQ?
Though many LGBTQ adults thought they might be LGBTQ before age 14, only 14% say they told someone when they were that young. Another 29% told someone when they were between 14 and 17, while 34% told someone when they were between 18 and 24.
Similar shares of lesbian or gay, bisexual, and transgender adults told someone before age 18.
However, there are some differences based on LGBTQ Americans’ current ages: 49% of those who are currently under 50 came out to someone before turning 18, compared with 24% of those who are currently 50 or older.
Many LGBTQ Americans aren’t ‘out’ to everyone
Some LGBTQ Americans say they haven’t come out to certain people in their lives:
- 32% say they aren’t out to any extended family members, such as grandparents, aunts or cousins.
- 25% of those who are employed and have co-workers aren’t out to any of them.
- 23% aren’t out to their parents or the people who raised them.
- 18% of those who have siblings aren’t out to any of them.
- 5% aren’t out to any of their friends.
** Based on those who did not indicate they don’t have siblings.
Note: The responses shown are in answer to a question about how many people in each group have been accepting of them. Refer to topline for full question wording. Gay or lesbian/bisexual adults exclude those who are transgender; they were asked about being gay or lesbian/bisexual. Transgender adults are of any sexual orientation; they were asked about being transgender. Queer adults who do not identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender were asked about being queer; they are included in the total but not shown separately due to small sample size.
Source: Survey of LGBTQ U.S. adults conducted Jan. 8-19, 2025.
“The Experiences of LGBTQ Americans Today”
| Transgender | Bisexual | Gay or lesbian | All LGBTQ adults | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extended family | 26 | 47 | 13 | 32 |
| Co-workers* | 19 | 38 | 8 | 25 |
| Parents or the people who raised them | 18 | 35 | 8 | 23 |
| Siblings** | 13 | 28 | 6 | 18 |
| Friends | 5 | 9 | 1 | 5 |
** Based on those who did not indicate they don’t have siblings.
Note: The responses shown are in answer to a question about how many people in each group have been accepting of them. Refer to topline for full question wording. Gay or lesbian/bisexual adults exclude those who are transgender; they were asked about being gay or lesbian/bisexual. Transgender adults are of any sexual orientation; they were asked about being transgender. Queer adults who do not identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender were asked about being queer; they are included in the total but not shown separately due to small sample size.
Source: Survey of LGBTQ U.S. adults conducted Jan. 8-19, 2025.
“The Experiences of LGBTQ Americans Today”
Do LGBTQ Americans feel accepted by people in their lives?
Many of those who have come out to some of the people in their lives say those people have been accepting. For example, 69% of LGBTQ adults with at least one sibling say that all of their siblings who know about their identity have been accepting. And 61% say all of their friends have been accepting.
Meanwhile, 46% of LGBTQ adults who have come out to their parents or the people who raised them say they’ve all been accepting.
Lesbian or gay adults are typically the most likely to say that people in each of these groups have been accepting, while transgender adults are generally the least likely to say this.
We also asked LGBTQ Americans how much social acceptance they see of people who are lesbian or gay, bisexual, nonbinary, or transgender in the U.S. today. About half or more say there is a great deal or a fair amount of acceptance for people who are lesbian or gay (61%) or bisexual (52%). Far fewer say this about people who are nonbinary (14%) or transgender (13%).
** Based on those who are employed and did not indicate they don’t have co-workers. There were 168 responses from employed transgender adults on this item, with an effective sample size of 83 and a 95% confidence level margin of error of plus or minus 10.8 percentage points. This margin of error conservatively assumes a reported percentage of 50%. The effective sample size for other groups is greater than 100.
Note: Based on those who didn’t indicate that each group doesn’t know they are gay or lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer. Gay or lesbian/bisexual adults exclude those who are transgender; they were asked about being gay or lesbian/bisexual. Transgender adults are of any sexual orientation; they were asked about being transgender. Queer adults who do not identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender were asked about being queer; they are included in the total but not shown separately due to small sample size. Refer to topline for full question wording.
Source: Survey of LGBTQ U.S. adults conducted Jan. 8-19, 2025.
“The Experiences of LGBTQ Americans Today”
| Transgender | Bisexual | Gay or lesbian | All LGBTQ adults | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siblings* | 58 | 65 | 74 | 69 |
| Friends | 58 | 57 | 65 | 61 |
| Parents or the people who raised them | 31 | 44 | 52 | 46 |
| Co-workers** | 24 | 45 | 50 | 45 |
| Extended family | 11 | 23 | 33 | 27 |
** Based on those who are employed and did not indicate they don’t have co-workers. There were 168 responses from employed transgender adults on this item, with an effective sample size of 83 and a 95% confidence level margin of error of plus or minus 10.8 percentage points. This margin of error conservatively assumes a reported percentage of 50%. The effective sample size for other groups is greater than 100.
Note: Based on those who didn’t indicate that each group doesn’t know they are gay or lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer. Gay or lesbian/bisexual adults exclude those who are transgender; they were asked about being gay or lesbian/bisexual. Transgender adults are of any sexual orientation; they were asked about being transgender. Queer adults who do not identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender were asked about being queer; they are included in the total but not shown separately due to small sample size. Refer to topline for full question wording.
Source: Survey of LGBTQ U.S. adults conducted Jan. 8-19, 2025.
“The Experiences of LGBTQ Americans Today”
Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.
