more Americans than ever before identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer. The number of Americans who self-identify this way increased by 60% between 2012 and 2020, according to Gallup.Researchers say the findings are partly due to an emerging generation of young people who have chosen to live openly with an identity other than heterosexual.“It reflects what we are seeing in society and the way society is changing,” Gallup senior editor Jeff Jones said, later telling NBC News that “younger people are growing up in an environment where being gay, lesbian or bisexual is not as taboo as it was in the past”.According to the new survey data, a record 5.6% of American adults, an estimated 18 million, identify as LGBTQ, up from.