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NEW YORK — Only one in 10 Americans say they learned about LGBTQ+ history in school, according to a new survey.
A survey of 300 LGBTQ+ Americans found that only 4% said they learned about LGBTQ+ history in elementary or middle school, and 6% said it was included in their college curriculum. However, respondents hope that this will change in the future, with 62% saying schools should teach more about LGBTQ+ history.
When asked why, one respondent replied, “LGBTQ+ history is American history and should be taught as such.”
“I’m 80 years old and when I came out at 14 I was lost in life with no history, no books, no one to talk to. I don’t want anyone to go through that, so teaching history is so important,” added another survey respondent.
Despite having no formal education, data revealed that 72% feel they are knowledgeable about LGBTQ+ history. The survey, conducted by Talker Research, tested that knowledge by asking about important dates, activists, and other facts about LGBTQ+ history.
One-third of respondents (34%) correctly selected 2015 as the year same-sex marriage was legalized by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision. However, Americans are less aware of the first state to legalize same-sex marriage nearly a decade before the Supreme Court decision.
Twenty-nine percent of respondents chose California as the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, when in fact it was Massachusetts (only 27% of those surveyed got this right).
Only 34% correctly chose 2015 as the year same-sex marriage became federally legal. (© Mego-studio)
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Only 16% knew that in 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that it is illegal to fire a worker because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The survey also asked about famous LGBTQ+ activists: 31% of respondents knew that Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag (although his original design had eight stripes instead of the current six), and 34% correctly identified Marsha P. Johnson as one of the key figures in the Stonewall riots.
When it comes to Stonewall, only 38% knew that the riots happened in 1969. And the same number (39%) correctly said that June is Pride Month because that’s the month the Stonewall riots took place.
Regardless of their knowledge of Pride Month or LGBTQ+ history, three in four survey respondents said they were “proud” to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Research Methodology:
The random, double opt-in survey was conducted among 300 LGBTQ+ Americans between June 4th and June 10th, 2024. The survey was conducted by market research firm Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
