We recently updated our contact information with an organization that supports small businesses.
When we got to their gender identification question, we discovered their pull-down box listed 37 options, which are listed below (click to enlarge).
Gender identification and sexual orientation have been rapidly changing.
A recent Gallup poll found that the share of adult Americans who self-identify as LGBTQ has doubled to 7.2% over the past decade.
This growth is driven by younger adults, with 20% of Gen Z and 10% of Millennials reporting they identify as LQBTQ. This compares with 4.2% of Gen X, 2.6% for Baby Boomers, and less than 1% for traditionalists (born prior to 1946).
This means the LGBTQ share of the population will continue to increase and could double again over the next decade.
Not only has gender identity and sexual orientation gotten more complicated - they have also become increasingly fluid.
Web MD defines gender fluidity as:
"Someone who is fluid -- also called gender fluid -- is a person whose gender identity (the gender they identify with most) is not fixed. It can change over time or from day to day. Fluid is a form of gender identity or gender expression rather than a sexual orientation."
And as the BBC's Why sexual identities shifted during the pandemic reports, the pandemic accelerated the trend toward people changing or adjusting their gender identity or sexual orientation.
The shifts and fluidity in gender identity and sexual orientation - and how society views these shifts - are important social trends.
And businesses need to understand that a growing share of their customers and workers identify as LGBTQ.
If you're curious about the gender terms listed above, check out the Gender Wiki for definitions.
