As of July 22, 2025, the majority of the transgender population aged 13 and over in the United States were living in a state with no ban on transgender people's use of bathrooms or facilities. However, ***** percent of the transgender population were living in a state which banned transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities consistent with their gender identity in K-12 schools only, while **** percent were living in a state which banned transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities corresponding to their gender identity in all government-owned buildings and spaces, including schools, colleges, and more. A further **** percent were living in a state that restricted transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities consistent with their gender identity in K-12 schools and at least some government-owned buildings as well. Anti-education legislation Statewide legislation affecting LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. has been on the rise recently, especially in K-12 schools. Many states have taken legal action to restrict schools from teaching topics of racism, sexism, gender identity, sexual orientation, and systemic inequality to students. However, studies show that Americans typically remain politically divided over how these topics should be taught; in 2022, the majority of Democratic parents were found to believe that children should be taught that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today while the majority of Republican parents thought that children should be taught that slavery is a part of American history but does not affect the position of Black people in American society today. Book bans Censorship of these topics has also been seen in K-12 libraries, with book bans occurring in multiple states throughout the country. As of 2022, Texas had the highest number of books banned in the U.S., followed by Florida. Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act, which is often referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" law, has been particularly controversial as it aims to prevent discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation and remove books featuring LGBTQ+ characters in K-12 schools and libraries. Along with potentially harming LGBTQ+ students, K-12 teachers have also highlighted how these laws and debates over what topics should be taught in the classroom may negatively impact their ability to do their job.

As of April 2024, 55 percent of the LGBT population lived in the 50 states and the District of Columbia where private health insurance service providers weren't allowed to deny coverage for transgender-related health care services, such as sex reassignment surgery. However, only 40 percent lived in states where health insurance protections included sexual orientation and gender identity.

LGBT Americans The share of Americans self-identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender has grown in recent years. This suggests that insurance protections which cover LGBT-related health care services will also continue to grow in importance. The prevalence of younger Americans self-identifying as LGBT when compared with older generations confirms this. Millennials and Gen Xers are much more likely to personally identify as LGBT than previous generations were. Growing acceptance and tolerance in wider society means that more people are willing to be open about their gender identity and sexual orientation. For instance, support for same-sex marriage in the U.S. underwent a huge shift over the past two decades with the majority of Americans being in favor of it since 2011.

A survey conducted in 2021 found that around **** percent of people assigned male at birth still identify as male, while *** percent identified as female, and *** percent identified as transgender.

As of June 2022, over half of transgender adults in the United States were white, while 21.7 percent were Latinx and 13 percent were Black.

According to a survey conducted in 2024, ** percent of Americans thought that society has gone too far in accepting people who are transgender in the United States. ** percent of white Americans and ** percent of Hispanic Americans also shared this belief, compared to only ** percent of Black Americans.

According to a survey conducted in 2022, ** percent of transgender people in the United States said that none of their identity documents (IDs) list the gender they wanted. ** percent also reported that none of their IDs listed the name that they wanted. In that year, transgender people in the United States were also negatively affected by anti-trans laws, such as banning access to bathrooms, healthcare, or sports, with ** percent agreeing that they have considered moving away due to such state action.

In 2022, around 80 percent of transgender people in the United States had considered suicide, while around 40 percent had attempted suicide. There has been an upward trend in both the considered and attempted suicide rate since 2000, when 61 percent of transgender people considered committing suicide and 28 percent had attempted it.

In a global survey conducted in 2023, ***** percent of respondents from 30 countries identified themselves as transgender, non-binary/non-conforming/gender-fluid, or in another way. In Switzerland, around *** percent of the respondents stated to identify themselves with one of the listed genders.

As of June 2022, the transgender population was estimated to reach over **** million in the United States. Transgender people aged between 25 and 64 were thought to make up the majority, with an estimated total of ******* trans people belonging to this age group. In comparison, there were also ******* youth between the ages of ** and ** estimated to identify as transgender in that year.

In 2022, ** percent of transgender adults and ** percent of transgender people of color reported that in the past year, providers had refused to provide them with reproductive or sexual health services due to their actual or perceived gender identity. Overall, transgender people of color in the U.S. experienced a higher rate of health care refusals from providers in comparison to white transgender people.

As of September 30, ** transgender and gender-diverse people were murdered in the United States in 2024. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, when ** transgender and gender-diverse people were murdered.

As of June 2022, almost half of transgender youth aged 13 to 17 years in the United States were white, at 46.3 percent. A further 31 percent were Latinx and 13.2 percent were Black.

As of February 10, 2025, ** percent of transgender adolescents aged 13 to 17 years in the United States were living in a state that banned best practice medication and surgical care for transgender youth, while ***** percent were living in a state that bans best-practice surgical care. Such legislation typically aims to restrict access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender people under 18, despite evidence to show that medical care bans increase the risk of harm for trans youth when they are forced to find care elsewhere. Laws targeting transgender students Recently, there has been a rise in state legislation restricting LGBTQ+ youth in the United States, particularly in K-12 schools. A growing number of transgender students have been banned from playing on school sports teams corresponding to their gender identity, and restricted from accessing their preferred bathrooms or locker rooms. Additionally, there has been an increase in laws that explicitly require teachers and staff to tell parents that their child is transgender, despite the risk of students facing harm from potentially unsupportive families.

In 2023, 7.6 percent of adults surveyed in the United States stated they identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). This is an increase from 2012, when 3.5 percent of surveyed adults identified as LGBT. These four categories are among the most common sexual orientations and gender identities outside cis-heterosexuals.

Differences across ages and genders 

Zooming in, it is possible to see how the share of people identifying as LGBT changed considerably according to different demographics. Only two percent of Baby Boomers, indeed, reported being part of the LGBT community. On the other hand, among Generation Z individuals, this share reached almost 16 percent. Moreover, surveys suggest that women were more likely to identify as LGBT than men.

An ever-understanding society 

The fact that an increasing amount of people feel free and safe to openly identify as LGBT might be a consequence of the improved acceptance of the different sexual orientations and genders by the American people at large. While in 2001 more than half of U.S. citizens considered homosexual relationships to be morally wrong, 20 years later this percentage dropped to 30 percent. Support for same-sex marriage has also been consistently increasing, even among traditionally conservative political groups. Despite this, it is important to remember that every year hundreds of people are still victims of hate crimes in the United States simply because of their gender or sexual orientation.

According to a survey conducted in 2024, Americans were most likely to support a policy expanding transgender rights by including protections for transgender people in hate-crime laws, with ** percent of respondents supporting this policy. A further ** percent supported a policy that would ban employers from firing employees based on their transgender identity.

According to a survey conducted in 2025, 58 percent of Americans were in favor of allowing openly transgender men and women to serve in the military in the United States. Democrats were more likely to share this belief, at 84 percent, compared to only 23 percent of Republicans.

As of July 22, 2025, ** percent of transgender youth aged 13 to 17 years in the United States were living in a state with laws preventing transgender students from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity. In recent years, there has been a rise in state legislation restricting LGBTQ+ students, including laws denying transgender students the use of bathrooms or locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity and the banning of books containing LGBTQ+ characters or themes from K-12 classrooms and libraries.

A survey conducted in 2024 found that ** percent of Americans believe that transgender people face a lot of discrimination in the United States. A further ***** percent felt that trans people do not face any discrimination.

In 2023, 8.5 percent of female respondents in the United States stated they identify as LGBT, while 4.7 percent of male respondents said the same. This is an increase from 2012, when 3.5 percent of female respondents and 3.4 percent of male respondents identified as LGBT.

In 2023, around ** percent of the Black people interviewed in the United States thought transgender people face a great deal of discrimination. In comparison, the share of Hispanic and white people who shared this view was about ** and ** percent, respectively.