To put things into perspective, 7% of Americans are lesbian, gay, or bisexual, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 12,147 U.S. adults conducted in summer 2022.

More specifically, some 17% of adults younger than 30 identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, compared with 8% of those ages 30 to 49, 5% of those 50 to 64, and 2% of those 65 and older.

Similar shares of men and women identify with any of these terms, as do similar shares of adults across racial and ethnic groups.

Furthermore, around 1.6% of U.S. adults are transgender or nonbinary – that is, their gender differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.

While that sounds like a relatively small share of the population, more than four in ten U.S. adults (44%) say they personally know someone who is trans, and 20% know someone who is nonbinary.

As part of an ongoing effort to understand the lives and experiences of these communities, the Center for American Progress, in conjunction with the independent and nonpartisan research group NORC at the University of Chicago, conducted the 2022 installment of its survey of LGBTQ+ adults in the United States. The nationally representative survey revealed that:

• More than 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ adults reported facing some kind of discrimination in the year prior to when they took the survey;
• Half of LGBTQ+ adults reported experiencing some form of workplace discrimination or harassment during the same timeframe because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status;

• Nearly 3 in 10 LGBTQ+ adults reported experiencing some kind of housing discrimination or harassment in the same year because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status;
• Nearly 4 in 5 LGBTQ+ adults reported they took at least one action to avoid experiencing discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status;

• More than 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ adults reported postponing or avoiding medical care during that year due to disrespect or discrimination by providers;
• More than half of LGBTQI+ adults reported that “recent debates about state laws restricting the rights of LGBTQI+ people” moderately or significantly affected their mental health or made them feel less safe.

What's clear after going through these posts is that structural stigma, inequality, and discrimination may take numerous forms, and empathy is crucial in dismantling these barriers.