Seventy percent (70%) of young adults reported feeling ashamed of being LGBTQIA, with lesbian young adults the most likely of all LGBTQIA identities to say they were ashamed of being part of the rainbow community (at 79%).
This is according to a study by charity organization Just Like Us, which also found that trans youth (78%) and non-binary youth (76%) also felt shame with being part of the LGBTQIA community.
The results of the survey – which questioned 3,695 young people aged 18 to 25 – also showed:
- that 5% of lesbians “always” feel ashamed of being LGBTQIA,
- 38% ‘sometimes’ feel ashamed, and
- only 20% report “never” feeling ashamed of who they are.
“It is heartbreaking to see that so many LGBTIA young adults feel ashamed of who they are,” stated Amy Ashenden, interim CEO of Just Like Us, in a prepared statement. “No young person should be ashamed because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans.”
