To use an inspiring phrase from the older generation to describe the remarkable things happening to the younger generation, the times they are ‘a changin’. Over the last few years, gender identity and sexual identification issues have become part of the national, cultural conversation for the first time ever. It’s a quiet revolution that’s taking off fast—more and more people are living according to their own feelings and personal identity, and that’s nothing but good.
People are accepting their truths and choosing to live it at a younger and younger age, and society is gradually getting on board. As today’s kids and teens age and “take over,” strict gender and sexual identity norms of yesteryear may slowly disappear as society comes to accept that there are more than just two options, allowing for a more inclusive society.
And according to a new study by the University of Minnesota, the science is there. “Diverse gender identities are more prevalent than people would expect,” said researcher Nic Rider, a postdoctoral fellow specializing in transgender health. The results of a study Rider led on teenage sexual and gender identity have been released. In 2016, more than 80,000 Minnesota teenagers were surveyed, targeting ninth and 11th grade students. Almost 3 percent, or about 2,200 young people, identified as either transgender or gender nonconforming, which means a personal rejection of their “biological” or “birth” gender, as well as the gender binary entirely. And that’s a higher rate than most researchers previously estimated.