The Experiences of LGBTQ Adults in 2025

As we come to the end of another Pride Month, we’re reflecting on the experiences of LGBTQ individuals in America today. In this post, we’ll take a peek at some of the findings from a recent report from Pew Research that surveyed LGBTQ adults to find out how they perceive levels of acceptance from other people, their experiences with discrimination, and their ability to find community with other LGBTQ individuals. While a lot of progress has been made towards increasing LGBTQ acceptance in America in recent decades, the results tell us that there is still a long way to go. 

Background of the Study

Pew Research first surveyed 1,197 LGBT adults in 2013 to better understand a range of topics related to LGBT identity. Their report on this data covers topics such as the degree of social acceptance LGBT adults experience, what the coming out experience is like, and how LGBT adults feel about marriage, parenting, religion, and politics. Almost ten years later (in 2022), Pew then conducted focus groups with 27 transgender and nonbinary adults to better understand the specific experiences of these individuals, their views, and the challenges that gender diverse adults face. These previous reports provided the groundwork for the 2025 survey of LGBTQ American adults. 

As the researchers indicate, 2025 is an important benchmark for better understanding LGBTQ experiences because this year marks a decade since the historic Obergfell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. Given the myriad ways that the current administration has challenged institutional support for LGBTQ identities, it is crucial to understand how the current political moment affects the day-to-day lives of LGBTQ people. For the 2025 survey, 3,959 LGBTQ adults were interviewed online or over the phone. Of these individuals,1,618 identified as gay or lesbian, 1,825 as bisexual, and 305 as transgender.

Social Acceptance of LGBTQ People

A large part of this new report covers the extent to which LGBTQ perceive others to be accepting of different LGBTQ identities. Overall, a majority of LGBTQ adults think that there is either a great deal or fair amount of acceptance for gay and lesbian individuals (61%) and bisexual individuals (51%). However, this number sharply declines for nonbinary and transgender people. Only 14% of LGBTQ adults think that there is either a great deal of fair amount of acceptance of nonbinary people, with 13% feeling the same for transgender people. Further, over half of LGBTQ adults (52%) feel as though there is not much acceptance for transgender people, or none at all. 

Interestingly, the extent to which LGBTQ adults view whether there is a great deal of social acceptance for different queer identities varies based on their political affiliation. Across the board, LGBTQ republicans perceive a greater amount of social acceptance than their democratic counterparts. Below, this graphic breaks these numbers down in a little more depth. 

Experiences of Discrimination 

In addition to tracking rates of social acceptance, Pew also asked LGBTQ adults about their own experiences with discrimination. Some important insights on this topic include the extent to which different family members are accepting of them being LGBTQ. For gay and lesbian adults, 52% say that all of their parents have been accepting of them, 74% say that all of their siblings have been accepting, and 33% say that all of their extended family have been accepting of their sexual orientation. For transgender individuals, however, these percentages drop to 31% for parents, 58% for siblings, and only 11% for all members of their extended families.

Further, the chart below depicts specific instances of discrimination that LGBTQ individuals face. 

As the title describes, 70% of transgender individuals have feared for their personal safety because they were perceived to be LGBTQ by others. This data also reveals that 42% of transgender individuals have been treated poorly when interacting with healthcare professionals, which may stem, in part, from growing restrictions and difficulties in accessing gender-affirming care. 

Moving Forward and Learning More

Although the majority of participants in this recent report agree that social acceptance for LGBTQ identities has increased in the past decade, other results reveal that there is still a long way to go. We encourage you to read the results of the full report, which include updated information on social acceptance, personal experiences with acceptance and discrimination, experiences with coming out, navigating LGBTQ identities, and finding community. Additionally, the 2022 report on the experiences of trans and nonbinary individuals provides rich, qualitative insights to learn more about gender minorities. 

If you have a sex question of your own, record a voicemail at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology to have it answered on the blog or the podcast. 

Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for more from the blog or here to listen to the podcast. Follow Sex and Psychology on Facebook, Twitter (@JustinLehmiller), Bluesky, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

Title graphic made with Canva. In-text images are sourced from Pew Research.