More young people than ever identify as LGBT, and 1 in 4 are nonbinary
A study by the Trevor Project found one in four LGBTQ+ members of Gen Z are nonbinary.
Nonbinary genders refer to genders that fall outside of the traditional categories of "male" and "female."
The study also found half of nonbinary youth are not transgender.
A new study by the Trevor Project found 26% of queer members of Gen Z are nonbinary, and another 20% are questioning their gender identity.
The study, which uses data collected from 35,000 LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-24, found more queer youth are gender variant and use different pronouns than the ones they were assigned at birth than ever before.
Nonbinary is an umbrella term that encompasses all genders that fall outside of the traditional categories of "man" and "woman." Nonbinary people's gender may fall somewhere else on the gender spectrum or outside of it entirely.
Youth who responded to the survey used a variety of terms to describe their nonbinary gender identities such as genderqueer, gender fluid, androgynous, and gender non-conforming.
Many nonbinary people use they/them pronouns rather than she or he. Others use neopronouns, or less common pronouns, like ze or xir. Some use rolling pronouns, or multiple pronouns at once like they/she or he/they.
The study found 33% of nonbinary youth use they/them pronouns exclusively, 20% use she/they, 16% use he/they, and 21% use additional combinations. Less than 6% of nonbinary people exclusively use he/him or she/her.
A 2021 Gallup poll published earlier this year found Gen Z is the queerest generation yet, with 5.6% of people ages 18-24 falling under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.
"These findings emphasize the need for policies that affirm nonbinary youth in their identities, such as respecting their pronouns and allowing them to change their name and gender marker on legal documents like driver's licenses and birth certificates," Jonah DeChants, research scientist for The Trevor Project, wrote in a statement.
Over 50% of nonbinary youth are not trans, study suggests
While nonbinary people are not cisgender - people who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth - not all nonbinary people identify as transgender. The study found that only 50% of youth who are nonbinary are also transgender.
Many nonbinary people are transgender, however, DeChants said it's important to understand the two identities are distinct ones that occasionally overlap.
"Young people are using a variety of language to describe the nuances of their gender identity outside of the binary construction of gender," DeChants wrote.
"These data emphasize that, while there is certainly an overlap, youth understand 'transgender' and 'nonbinary' as distinct identity terms - and you cannot assume one's identity simply based on the pronouns they use."
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