Teenage girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual drop sharply from 2021 to 2025

New CDC statistics indicate a dramatic reversal in how ninth-grade girls describe their sexual orientation, with those identifying as lesbian or bisexual dropping from 30% in 2021 to 17% in 2025, and bisexual-only identification falling from 26% to 13%. In contrast, the proportion of boys reporting gay or bisexual identities has remained flat over the past decade. While older teenage girls continue to report higher rates than before the COVID-19 pandemic, their numbers have not declined as sharply.

Psychologist Jean Twenge, who analyzed the 2025 data, said the downward shift began while former President Joe Biden was in office, suggesting the change is not simply tied to a new administration. Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project attributed the trend to recent cuts to the Department of Education and USAID. Detransitioned author Walt Heyer cautioned that the findings are preliminary and called for more research before declaring a lasting trend.