Compiled by Dylan Fee
According to new polling from Gallup, the percentage of U.S. adults who identify as LGBTQ+ has more than doubled since 2012. In 2012, 3.5% of adults aligned themselves with the community compared to 7.6% in 2024. According to the survey, most of the increase comes from younger adults, specifically Millennial (1981-1996) and Generation Z adults (1997-2021). Gallup found that 22.3% of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ+. Bisexual is by far the most common queer identity among Gen. Z, at 15.3% of all Gen Z adults.
Brandon Cooper was an umpire for the Major League Baseball’s minor league baseball team in Arizona known as the ACL. He was fired in October of 2023 in retaliation for reporting a fellow umpire who made “derisive” remarks to him after she found out he was bisexual. After reporting said remarks, he was told that the staff would be put through sensitivity training, but he was benched from playoffs and fired in October. He filed a lawsuit against the MLB and an affiliated entity, PDL Blue Inc., for wrongful termination and/or retaliation due to sexual orientation under New York state law. The lawsuit is currently underway.
The Emmy award winning show 9-1-1 had one of their main male characters, Evan “Buck” Buckley (played by Oliver Stark) come out as bisexual. They sealed the deal with an on-screen kiss between Buck and Tommy Kinard, played by Lou Ferrigno, Jr., who is a recurring guest star on the show. Oliver Stark spoke out about the character, saying that he wanted the coming-out to happen in earlier seasons after he saw the fans ship him with another male character, and, when he was presented with this bisexual storyline, he happily agreed.
The biggest annual bi+ event in the world is taking place this summer. The 6th annual Bi Pride UK is happening on Aug 31, 2024 at The University of West London. The location holds significance to the bi+ community, as UWL was the university that Freddie Mercury attended. Over 1,300 people attended the 2023 event, and the event’s organizers are planning for an even larger turnout this year.
Alexandria Bellefleur is a Seattle-based author known for writing queer romances. This year she released a romance novel called Truly, Madly, Deeply, an enemies-to-lovers story featuring two bisexual characters in a mixed-gender relationship. There are points throughout the book where the characters discussed being bisexual within their straight-presenting relationship. This book adds to the long list of queer romances by this author.
In 2024, 30% of WNBA players identify as queer—37 women in total. This is a great win for the LGBTQ+ community and for women in the realm of athletics.
As of November 2024, Germany will have implemented a law making it easier for transgender and nonbinary people to change their names on legal documents. The law, called the Self-Determination Act, will allow people to change their names without medical proof or ‘expert’ opinions being required.
In a historic feat, the United Nations passed the first resolution involving the rights of intersex people. The resolution addresses the problematic “normalization” of harmful intersex surgeries performed worldwide, and encourages nations seeks to work to realize the “enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health for persons with innate variations in sex characteristics.”
Sources:
Fired umpire sues MLB, claims harassment, discrimination (msn.com)
Number of U.S. adults who identify as LGBTQ+ has doubled since 2012 : NPR
Lou Ferrigno Jr. on Returning to ‘9-1-1’ for Buck’s Bisexual Awakening (msn.com)
Seattle-raised author on latest book, romance novels and queer love | The Seattle Times
Here’s where the world’s ‘largest bi event’ is happening (advocate.com)
Meet the current 37 queer women of the WNBA (advocate.com)
Germany makes it easier to change gender and name on legal documents (advocate.com)
United Nations adopts historic resolution on intersex rights (advocate.com)
Dylan Fee is a bisexual sophomore at Tufts University in Medford, MA, U.S., majoring in Math and Latin. She also writes for her student publication: The Tufts Daily.