Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-12**Lead**
New data from a major national survey reveals a dramatic decline in the proportion of American teenage girls who identify as lesbian or bisexual, marking a stunning reversal of a trend that had been rising steadily for more than a decade. The findings, drawn from the latest wave of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, show that the percentage of high school girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual has dropped significantly compared to the peak recorded in 2021. The shift has caught the attention of researchers, educators, and policymakers, who are now scrambling to understand the forces behind this unexpected change.
**Context**
For years, the narrative surrounding adolescent sexual identity in the United States was one of rapid growth. Between 2011 and 2021, the share of high school girls identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual more than doubled, according to CDC data. That period coincided with a broader cultural acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities, the rise of online communities, and increased visibility of queer representation in media and entertainment. Many experts attributed the upward trend to a combination of greater social tolerance and the availability of digital spaces where young people could explore and affirm their identities. The 2021 survey recorded the highest levels ever, with roughly one in three high school girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual.
However, the latest data, collected in 2025 and released this month, indicates a sharp contraction. While the overall percentage of LGBTQ+ identification among teenagers remains higher than a decade ago, the decline among girls is particularly pronounced. The reversal is not uniform across all demographics; preliminary analysis suggests the drop is most visible among younger teens and those in suburban and rural areas. Researchers are still parsing the numbers, but the trend appears to be statistically significant and has already sparked debate about its causes.
**Analysis**
The implications of this reversal extend far beyond statistics. For mental health professionals, the decline raises urgent questions about the well-being of adolescent girls. The previous rise in LGBTQ+ identification was often accompanied by increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among this group, partly attributed to stigma and discrimination. If the new data reflects a genuine shift in identity rather than a change in reporting behavior, it could signal a reduction in the number of young people experiencing identity-related distress. Alternatively, some experts caution that the decline might be driven by a growing reluctance to disclose non-heterosexual identities in an increasingly polarized political climate, where LGBTQ+ rights have become a flashpoint in state legislatures and school boards.
Cultural factors are also under scrutiny. The role of social media, once hailed as a liberating force for queer youth, is now being reexamined. Some sociologists argue that the algorithmic amplification of LGBTQ+ content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram may have created a temporary “identity bubble” that inflated self-identification rates during the early 2020s. As online trends shift and new platforms emerge, the pressure to adopt a specific label may have eased. Additionally, the rise of “queer” as an umbrella term and the growing rejection of rigid categories among Gen Z could mean that fewer girls are choosing the specific labels of “lesbian” or “bisexual,” even if their attractions remain unchanged. The survey itself may not capture these nuances, as it relies on fixed categories.
**Sources**
This article is based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), which conducts biennial surveys of high school students across the United States. Additional context was drawn from reports by the Pew Research Center on LGBTQ+ identity trends and from analyses published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. No specific individuals were interviewed for this report, and all interpretations are derived from publicly available survey summaries and expert commentary from academic researchers in sociology and public health.