ColonizationPoll suggests that 30% of US Millennials identify as LGBTQ, and implies same-sex attraction is a "lifestyle"

submitted by reluctant_commenter from self.LGBDropTheT

Article link: https://www.newsweek.com/nearly-40-percent-us-gen-zs-30-percent-christians-identify-lgbtq-poll-shows-1641085 (shared from Twitter)

Quick points from this article:

  • 30% of Millennials identify as LGBTQ

  • 40% (approx.) of Gen Z identify as LGBTQ

  • Compare this ^ number to the Gallup survey (2021), which found that 16% of Gen Z identify LGBT-- not including Q.

Survey methods are different between Gallup and these people, sure, but also, that Q might be adding a big % boost to the number.

(Worth observing-- @ripx4nutmeg misread the Gallup poll, it's 16% identified as LGBT not LGB.)

Quotes:

Keep in mind, these are speculations, not necessarily supported by evidence.

The pollster who worked on the new study, George Barna, attributes the unusually high number he found to social and news media coverage that makes it "safe and cool" for young Americans to identify as LGBTQ—whether or not it represents their actual sexual orientation.

"It's a subset of a larger issue, that this is a generation where three out of four are searching for meaning. This is a group that doesn't have a reason to get out of bed in the morning," Barna says. "Therefore, the LGBTQ identity gives them comfort. A lot of this generation claim to be moving in that direction, but there's a big difference between claiming the identity and living the lifestyle."

^ Homophobic dig in there: He implies that same-sex attraction is a lifestyle (along with T and Q).

Comments section: Filled with homophobic comments. Awesome.

(Flairing this as homophobia because of comments section + article insinuations + the general homophobia required to treat same-sex attraction as a "fun lifestyle to identify as"... open to other suggestions.)

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[–]Elvira95Viva la figa 25 insightful - 1 fun25 insightful - 0 fun26 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

These numbers are crazy and not believable. It has nothing to do with actual homosexuality, which is 1-2 percent of humanity at best, but with crazy queers and fake bi women. THe LGBT community has become something cool to be part of, for people who hate being normal.

[–]reluctant_commenter[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

These numbers are crazy and not believable.

Agreed.

but with crazy queers and fake bi women.

The number of straight people who LARP as LGB-- or rather, as what they think LGB people look and act like-- is ridiculous.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 14 insightful - 1 fun14 insightful - 0 fun15 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

And of course homophobes will blame us, over the fact that between 25%-30% of the heterosexual population are attention whores who identify as “non-binary” or pretend they are bisexual thinking it will appeal to straight people of the opposite sex (news flash: it won’t). My advice to heterosexual homophobes is for them to look at the behaviour and parenting skills of their own community before blaming us over how Gen Z turned out.

[–]julesburm1891 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Same thought. Straight people are acting stupid, LGB call them out for it, LGB people get shut down as hateful for doing so, and, somehow, straight people being idiots is our fault. insert math lady meme

I do think the author has a point about people looking for meaning though. In the past, people had something to cling to to provide meaning—religion, national pride, family, work, etc. Now, it’s not “cool” to be religious or patriotic. It’s not cool to be super family-oriented or to take a lot of pride in your profession or company. People need some distraction from their own bullshit. Modern society scoffs at much of what we’ve historically used for that and only provided a black mirror of social-media narcissism.

[–]Elvira95Viva la figa 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This is very true. People do need a purpose to feel like they've got a reason to live. Only mindless shot of dopamine for pleasurable activities is empty in the long run. Even someone rich will likely get in depression, if their life is all hedonism and not purpose. I think this is just a way for younger people to find a cause, something to belong to, but its damaging for the real LGBT.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

We need national pride, cultural pride, communal pride and familial pride. And if you are religious, you should be proud of it. All those things are condemned in western society nowadays, so of course young people have turned to identity like made up genders.

[–]CleverFoolOfEarth 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Based

[–]wafflegaffWoman. SuperBi. 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

https://archive.ph/eGxrn

^ Homophobic dig in there: He implies that same-sex attraction is a lifestyle (along with T and Q).

That's Newsweek for you.

Either way anything approaching these poll numbers for the TQ+ trenders does explain the deluge of this nonsense that is occurring, and does not bode well for a sane future. Not without a lot of work to preserve it, at least.

[–]book_hoarder 9 insightful - 2 fun9 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

How much you want to bet only 5 to 8% of that 30% have ever been in a same-sex relationship?

[–]TransspeciesUnicornI sexually identify as a mythical sparkly equine 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

5 to 8% is probably a generous estimate tbh

[–]book_hoarder 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Oh yeah. It was definitely a generous estimation.

[–]reluctant_commenter[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Might be even lower, because Gen Z is less sexually inexperienced, on average, than other generations have been.

[–][deleted] 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

(Flairing this as homophobia because of comments section + article insinuations + the general homophobia required to treat same-sex attraction as a "fun lifestyle to identify as"... open to other suggestions.)

I would consider it "colonization", since the article is about the dramatic increase in people identifying as LGB(TQ+) and why that's happening. "Indoctrination/Doublethink" would also be OK, especially if it went more into individual reasons and quotes.

IMO, the statement of "claiming the identity and living the lifestyle" wasn't meant to be homophobic. I think it was meant to show that people are calling themselves LGB without actually being LGB. I took it as him saying "people talk about and claim the label, but they aren't actually living real life as LGB". Poor wording, perhaps due to older generations and/or language and teaching in different areas ... like how sometimes people will use "sexual preference" without realizing that it's no longer OK to refer to sexuality as "preference". It was fine at one time (but not anymore because of the insinuation of choice), and there's a learning curve to catch up.

The comment section is its own thing and separate. The writer and/or participants in the article have no influence over how readers react or what they say. Some of the readers/commenters are definitely demonstrating homophobia.

[–]reluctant_commenter[S] 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I would consider it "colonization", since the article is about the dramatic increase in people identifying as LGB(TQ+)

Oh, duh. Lol I don't know how I didn't think of that, must've had a brain freeze yesterday. Thanks!

IMO, the statement of "claiming the identity and living the lifestyle" wasn't meant to be homophobic.

Well-- I'm not a mind reader, so I can't speak to the intentions of the article writer. However, the wording is such that it does imply that sexual orientation, and transgender/"queer" identification, are lifestyles-- a claim championed by many people, even if not the article writer.

I took it as him saying "people talk about and claim the label, but they aren't actually living real life as LGB".

Yeah I was hoping that was more what they meant, as well. But the wording is ambiguous enough that it could reasonably be worded either way.

Poor wording, perhaps due to older generations and/or language and teaching in different areas ... like how sometimes people will use "sexual preference" without realizing that it's no longer OK to refer to sexuality as "preference". It was fine at one time (but not anymore because of the insinuation of choice), and there's a learning curve to catch up.

That's true, it's a possibility. I think it's getting harder and harder these days to tell what is actually the case, though, because of a resurgence in (very intentional) homophobia.

[–]BootsAndBeards 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I think the article is insinuating that TQ+ are those living out a lifestyle choice calling themselves ace demi heteroromantic queer nonbinaries, all of which are 'lifestyle labels'. It says 3/4 are searching for meaning, and kind of implies that 1/4 aren't and are probably actual LGB people living normal gay lives.

All that said I don't believe nearly 1/3 millennials are buying into this crap. I'm assuming that's just bad polling data. A lot of these TQ people are terminally online and skew any kind of online poll.

[–]reluctant_commenter[S] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I think the article is insinuating that TQ+ are those living out a lifestyle choice calling themselves ace demi heteroromantic queer nonbinaries, all of which are 'lifestyle labels'.

Replied to TumbleweedFireflies about this already, but-- I hope that was the insinuation, but since the wording is ambiguous, it also could've as easily meant "all LGBTQ is a lifestyle."

All that said I don't believe nearly 1/3 millennials are buying into this crap. I'm assuming that's just bad polling data. A lot of these TQ people are terminally online and skew any kind of online poll.

Agreed, it seems a little ridiculous to me. At a left-leaning university-- now that, I could definitely believe numbers as high as this.