The Anti Gay and Trans Political Climate Ins't Driving Folks Back To The Closet But The Opposite
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The GOP’s relentless attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and dignity over the past two years have not driven the record number of LGBTQ+ adults back into the closet, according to a new reportfrom the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
In fact, the hostile climate seems to be having the opposite effect, inspiring people to publicly embrace who they are as a way to push back.
The HRC Foundation 2026 Annual LGBTQ+ Community Survey found that 85% of LGBTQ+ adults are somewhat or very open about their identities, despite 56% saying the political climate makes them less likely to be open. 33% of respondents reported they are more open than they were two years ago, and 45% said they are just as open. Only 22% reported being less open than they were two years ago.
The most recent survey found that older LGBTQ+ adults were more likely to have remained just as open as they were two years ago, while younger adults were more likely to report becoming more open over the past two years.
One 34-year-old lesbian from West Virginia wrote that it is “more important than ever for me to be out in every space of my life as an act of resistance. Building community is life-affirming.”
The most popular reasons respondents reported wanting to be open about their LGBTQ+ identities were a desire to build support for LGBTQ+ people and a belief that visibility benefits the overall community.
“Despite the current political climate being anti-trans, I feel it is important to be open,” wrote a 54-year-old trans, asexual respondent from Arizona. “I believe the more people realize that trans people are still people and may even have things in common with them, the more we can change how they see us. Maybe we can show others we deserve the same protections and be allowed to be ourselves.”
Unsurprisingly, the survey found that trans and gender-expansive people were more likely to report that the current political climate and fears of harassment and discrimination made them less likely to be open.
The report emphasized that the high number of LGBTQ+ people living openly “should not be mistaken for an absence of fear or pressure.”
“These findings show both at once,” the researchers wrote, “powerful forces that can discourage openness, alongside powerful reasons to remain visible. LGBTQ+ people can experience pressure to hide while also seeing real value in being known, living authentically, supporting equality, and creating space for others.”
HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement that the data shows coming out is both “deeply personal” and “deeply political,” calling it “a way to build an environment where equality is a right, not a privilege.”
“Being seen is how we win support,” she said. “We come out for each other. This fall, we’re carrying that spirit to the ballot box. We’re voting in these midterms to protect every one of us, wherever we are on our journey.”
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