8.1b Gender Identity and Sexual Identity
In 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau began surveying residents 18 and older about their gender identity and sexual orientation. Figures 8.1 shows that most U.S. adults are cisgender, with less than 1% saying they are transgender.
Figure 8.1
Percent of U.S. Population Currently Male, Female, or Transgender, 2021
Note: This textbook will use the same language (male/female) as its sources when reporting results from those sources. Based on data from Anderson, L., File, T., Marshall, J., McElrath, K., & Scherer, Z. (2021). New household pulse survey data reveals differences between LGBT and non-LGBT respondents during COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/11/census-bureau-survey-explores-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity.html. In the public domain.
Gender identity is distinct from sexual identity and does not imply a particular sexuality. Sexuality includes feelings, emotions, and behaviors about sexual activity. Sexual identity (or sexual orientation) refers to how individuals label their sexuality. Possible sexual identities and corresponding directions of sexual attraction are listed and defined in Table 8.1.
Table 8.1
Sexual Identities and Direction of Sexual Attraction
| Sexual Identity | Direction of sexual attraction |
| Asexual | Mostly or completely absent |
| Bisexual | Either gender |
| Straight (heterosexual) | Other gender |
| Gay or lesbian (homosexual) | Same gender |
| Pansexual | All genders (without regard for gender) |
By author.
The names and meanings of the sexual identities in Table 8.1 are recent social constructions. For example, the first known use of the words heterosexual and homosexual was in 1892 (Katz, 1995). At that time, heterosexuals were people who had or desired sexual activity for pleasure rather than for reproduction. Today, heterosexual refers to sexual attraction to the other gender and no considers whether sexual activity is for reproduction or pleasure.
Overall, 8% of adults in the United States are gay, lesbian, or bisexual (Anderson et al., 2021). Figure 8.2 shows the sexual orientations by gender identity of the U.S. population.
Figure 8.2
Sexual Orientations of U.S. Population by Percentage, 2021
Based on data from Anderson, L., File, T., Marshall, J., McElrath, K., & Scherer, Z. (2021). New household pulse survey data reveals differences between LGBT and non-LGBT respondents during COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/11/census-bureau-survey-explores-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity.html. In the public domain.
LGBTQ identification varies according to age, race, state, education, and so on. Figure 8.3 shows how it varies by age. U.S. LGBTQ people tend to be younger; about 24.6% are 18-24 years old, and 41% are 25-39. One explanation for this trend is that younger adults have come to realize that they are LGBTQ and come out earlier compared to older adults. For example, only 15% of LGBTQ adults aged 18-29 have not come out to anyone (McCarthy & Yi, 2024). In contrast, 22% of LGBTQ adults aged 65 and older have not come out to others (McCarthy & Yi, 2024).
Figure 8.3
Sexual and Gender Identity and Age of U.S. Adults, Percentage of Population, 2021
Based on data from Anderson, L., File, T., Marshall, J., McElrath, K., & Scherer, Z. (2021). New household pulse survey data reveals differences between LGBT and non-LGBT respondents during COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/11/census-bureau-survey-explores-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity.html. In the public domain.