The National Coming Out Day report shows that 9 out of 10 LGBT youth (91 percent) across this country are out to their close friends while youth are less likely to be out to immediate family (56 percent) and at school (61 percent).
“The good news is that unlike previous generations, many of today’s LGBT youth have someone in their life with whom they can be themselves,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “It is strikingly clear, however, that adults must do better in supporting LGBT youth who still fear family rejection, being judged and ostracized in school, rejected from their religious congregations and the broader community.”
The report also finds youth who are not out often face additional stressors and are more likely to be cut off from key forms of support including adults in their family or community to talk to and support organizations at school. Half of LGBT youth, both out and not, participate in online communities that address LGBT youth issues.
Among the report’s key findings:
- Among youth who are not out to their family, the most frequent obstacle they describe is that their family is not accepting or homo/bi/transphobic;
- Among youth who are not out at school, the most frequent obstacle they describe is that teachers or classmates will treat them differently or judge them;
- Nearly half (47 percent) of LGBT youth who are not out to their immediate family say they do not have an adult in their family they could talk to if they were sad, a quarter (25 percent) of youth who are out say the same;
- Among religious-identified LGBT youth who attend services regularly, only 19 percent are out within their congregation and a mere 11 percent are out to their clergy
This report, the second in a series of efforts to analyze the landscape for LGBT youth, includes a call to action for LGBT youth, their peers, parents, teachers, elected officials and religious leaders.