Why So Many Gen Zers Identify as LGBTQ+ — And Why the Numbers Are Often Misread
Also, is sapiosexuality (being aroused by intelligence) a real thing?
In a recent episode of my podcast, I sat down with evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller to unpack a statistic that regularly shocks people: surveys now show that 20–25% of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ+.
At face value, this looks like a dramatic transformation in human sexuality. Some interpret it as evidence of mass social contagion or ideological indoctrination. Others celebrate it as long-suppressed identities finally finding expression. But as Miller explains, both reactions tend to misunderstand what the data is actually capturing.
The crucial distinction is between sexual orientation and identity labels.
Studies show rates of exclusive same-sex attraction appear to be remarkably stable for decades. The percentage of people who are strictly homosexual — attracted only to their own sex — remains small and consistent across time. What has changed rapidly is how people describe themselves.
Much of the growth in LGBTQ identification comes from:
Rising identification as bisexual, particularly among women
Broad, non-specific labels like “queer”
Newly popular subcategories that blur sexual orientation, personality traits, and cultural signaling
During the conversation, I jokingly said that at the current rate, pretty soon all of us will be LGBTQ+ — because every year there seems to be a new category added to the “plus.” I said I might as well see everyone at the next Pride parade, since I’m attracted to intelligent women and emotional connection — which, apparently, now makes me sapiosexual or demisexual.
As Miller notes, terms like sapiosexual (attraction to intelligence) or demisexual (attraction that depends on emotional connection) describe preferences that have existed across cultures for thousands of years. Framing them as distinct sexual identities doesn’t uncover something new about human biology — it reframes familiar mate preferences in the language of identity politics.
In fact, Miller’s own research shows that attraction to intelligence and competence is a near-universal human trait, especially in long-term partner selection. In that sense, if sapiosexual counts as a sexual identity, then most of humanity qualifies.
This helps explain why labels like queer have become so expansive. For many Gen Zers, “queer” doesn’t describe a specific pattern of attraction at all. It often functions as a cultural, aesthetic, or political identity, rather than a precise account of sexual behavior.
What looks like a radical shift in human orientation is, in large part, a shift in language, norms, and self-understanding — shaped by social media, politics, and an ever-expanding vocabulary for describing the self.
This clip explores why that distinction matters.
Click HERE to watch the full clip
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Superb nuance on this topic. Miller's distinction between stable sexual orientation rates and exploding identity labels cuts through the usual culture war noise. The sapiosexual example is particualrly useful because it shows how universal mate preferences get rebranded as niche identities. I worked with a university survey team a few years back and we saw this exact pattern where the queer category functioned more like an opt-in subcultural marker than behavior descriptor. The data tells a much less dramatic story than either side wants to admit.
Also, indoctrination since kindergarten doesn't help.... I work in a school and there are rainbows everywhere and A LOT of the library books are now about this.... especially the books on display.... it's actually sickening..... and FOMO... that is a real thing, too.....