20 percent of millennials openly identify as LGBTQ

Joe Franco marches down Market Street during the annual Pride Parade in downtown San Francisco on Sunday, June 26, 2016. The theme for the parade this year is For Racial and Economic Justice. Joe Franco marches down Market Street during the annual Pride Parade in downtown San Francisco on Sunday, June 26, 2016. The theme for the parade this year is For Racial and Economic Justice. Photo: James Tensuan, Special To The Chronicle Photo: James Tensuan, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 175 Caption Close 20 percent of millennials openly identify as LGBTQ 1 / 175 Back to Gallery

LGBTQ folk and their allies celebrated nationally in June 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled that every American has the constitutional right to marry whomever they please. Trends of acceptance of LGBTQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and questioning – individuals have only grown in recent years, and more people than ever openly identify as such.

Millennials – love them or hate them – are leading the charge in openly declaring their sexualities, and supporting those who do not identify as heterosexual and cisgender (those whose gender identity corresponds to their birth sex).

GLAAD's third annual "Accelerating Acceptance" report revealed that 20 percent of millennials (ages 18-34) openly identify as LGBTQ. Comparatively, 7 percent of baby boomers (ages 52-71) identify themselves as such.

"As acceptance has grown in this country, so too has the number of young people who describe themselves as LGBTQ," says the report, suggesting that accepting environments enable people to "more openly and safely talk about who they are and who they love."

As acceptance grows, the gender binary appears to break down. Twelve percent of millennials identify as non-cisgender. Only 3 percent of baby boomers and 6 percent of the Generation X set (ages 35-51) identified themselves as such.

Citing President Donald Trump's first cabinet pick, Vice President Mike Pence, the survey suggests that the ascendancy of the Trump administration "has left many marginalized groups fearful that hard-fought progress may now be in jeopardy."

Related video: Trans people experienced a deadly 2016 among rights expansion

Politics aside, the study showed that young people are more likely than ever to be allies of LGBTQ. Only 14 percent of millennials identified as "resisters" – non-LGBTQ survey respondents who were "very" or "somewhat" uncomfortable when asked LGBTQ-related questions.

Non-LGBTQ individuals were most uncomfortable in situations such as seeing a same-sex couple holding hands and learning their child had a lesson on LGBTQ history. Out of the situations listed on the survey, respondents were most comfortable having LGBTQ members at their place of worship.

Significantly, the survey demonstrated that acceptance of LGBTQ folk has reached "historic levels," especially among young people, in what GLAAD refers to as an "identity revolution."

Read Michelle Robertson’s latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.