Jean Twenge analyzes federal survey data on youth sexuality, noting a significant decline in L. G. B.
T. Q. identification among U.S. high schoolers. After peaking at 26 percent in 2021, bisexual identification among ninth-grade girls fell to 13 percent in 2025, marking a reversal of longstanding trends.
The data, collected via the C. D. C.'s Youth Risk Behavior Survey since 2015, shows a simultaneous increase in heterosexual identification, rising to 78 percent in 2025 from 73 percent in 2023.
However, researchers caution that the shift is concentrated in ninth-grade girls, limiting its breadth. Conservative commentator Terry Schilling linked the change to a rightward political swing, while others suggest a hostile climate may deter disclosure. Dr. Twenge disputes these explanations, noting smaller declines began under the Biden administration. Across all grades, lesbian or gay identification remained stable at roughly 3 to 5 percent.
Demographer Andrew Flores emphasized the difficulty of drawing broad conclusions from the data, and Christopher Julian questioned whether the decline represents a "free fall" or if prior increases were more significant. The survey's evolving wording also complicates trend analysis.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing