It seems a lot more people are wondering if they’re queer than we previously thought.
Many of us remember days on the internet when we’d type in a Google search bar questions like “Am I gay?” “How to know if I’m a lesbian?” or “Am I trans?” Now, a new study shows that we were
far
from alone in those searches.
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According to a study published by the Cultural Currents Institute
, which studies public opinion trends, Google searches for phrases questioning sexuality and gender such as “Am I gay?” and “Am I lesbian?” have increased by 1,300 percent over the last 20 years.
In order to cancel out the simple fact that more people are using Google overall in 2023 than in 2004, the study shows relative data, “representing each term’s share of all Google searches for the region or time period being examined.”
That means that the amount of Google users searching these terms over time has risen by over 1,300 percent, a truly staggering number.
Interestingly, the state of Utah led all states in these searches. The state has a large conservative population and a large Latter Day Saints population, both of which probably contributed to the higher numbers.
Other states at the top of the “Am I gay?” search include Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia, and New Hampshire. Connecticut, Kentucky, Washington, and Colorado followed behind Utah in the “Am I lesbian?” category. The “Am I trans?” search has Kentucky, Colorado, Michigan, and Washington rounding out the top five.
Two other terms’ Google trends were also studied: “How to come out,” and “nonbinary.” States that searched the most for tips on how to come out include Oklahoma, West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky, meaning that the south and Appalachia have the highest rates.
According to the study, the question “Am I nonbinary?” didn’t have sufficient data for Google to provide results, so they went with the more generic “nonbinary.” While searches for the questioning terms tend to be more popular in conservative states, mostly progressive states including Vermont, Oregon, Maine, Montana, and Washington led the pack in searches for “nonbinary.”
