Google searches about sexuality, gender skyrocketed 1,300% since 2004

Online searches by users on Google for phrases questioning their own sexuality and gender identity, including ‘Am I gay’ and ‘Am I lesbian’, skyrocketed by 1,300 per cent since 2004, a new report has shown.

The findings published by the market research firm Cultural Currents Institute collected Google Trends data from January 2004 to this month for questions related to sexual orientation and gender identity across the US.

Among the five search terms considered — ‘Am I gay’, ‘Am I lesbian’, ‘Am I trans’, ‘How to come out’, and ‘Nonbinary’ — a significant upward trend is observed across the US.