For participants under 29, the average age to come out was 17
BY KERRIE DRAGHI, IMAGE BY GETTY
A new survey of LGBTQIA people in America has shown that LGBTQIA people are coming out younger than ever. The average age to come out was 17 for those under 29. For people aged 65 and above, the average age to come out was 26.
Of the 71% percent who reported coming out before they turned 30, 57% said they came out by the age of 22.
The survey’s findings, conducted online for two weeks, showed that young people came out approximately three years after realizing they were LGBTQIA, and older people waited 10 years.
48% of adults surveyed said that they knew they were LGBTQIA from the young age of 14 and 72% by the age of 18.
Of course, not all LGBTQIA people come out or realize they are queer at such an early age, and it is perfectly normal to come out anytime in your life.
How we define coming out is also a complex issue as LGBTQIA people often have to come out more than once in their lives – to new friends, co-workers and housemates. Sometimes, for our safety, we might not come out to certain people in our lives.
However, the news that more LGBTQIA Americans are coming out younger than ever can only be a good thing.
It’s likely that more positive and frequent representations of LGBTQIA people on TV and movies over recent years and seeing more LGBTQIA celebrities and allies have helped to improve acceptance of LGBTQIA people for this generation, leading to more people feeling freer to come out and accept themselves as LGBTQIA from a younger age than previous generations.
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