Maher says increase in those identifying as LGBT partly attributed to being ‘trendy’

HBO show host and comedian Bill Maher claimed that there was an increase in the number of individuals identifying as LGBT partly because “it’s trendy.”

On his show, “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Maher discussed a Gallup poll that noted an increase in the number of Americans per generation self-identifying as LGBT.

“Yes, part of the rise in LGBT numbers is from people feeling free enough to tell it to a pollster and that’s all to the good, but some of it is — it’s trendy,” Maher said.

He suggested during the segment that more children identified as transgender in California than in Ohio, stating that it was “regional.”

“If you attend a small dinner party of typically very liberal, upper-income Angelenos, it is not uncommon to hear parents who each have a trans kid having a conversation about that. What are the odds of that happening in Youngstown, Ohio?” he said. 

“If this spike in trans children is all natural, why is it regional? Either Ohio is shaming them or California is creating them. It’s like that day we suddenly all needed bottled water all the time. If we can admit that in certain enclaves there is some level of trendiness to the idea of being anything other than straight, then this is not a serious science-based discussion,” he added.

A Gallup poll published in February indicated a steady increase between generations of Americans who self-identify as LGBT. About 2.6 percent of Baby Boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — identified as LGBT compared to 10.5 percent of millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996.)

Compare that to Generation Z — those born between 1997 and 2003 — and the percentage increases to 20.8 percent. Nearly 1 in 6 Gen Z adults identified as bisexual, according to the survey.

“These young adults are coming of age, including coming to terms with their sexuality or gender identity, at a time when Americans increasingly accept gays, lesbians and transgender people, and LGBT individuals enjoy increasing legal protection against discrimination,” the analysis from Gallup read.

Medical treatment for transgender youth as well as transgender children’s participation in sports has become a topic of national debate in recent years.

States across the country, including South Dakota and Florida, have passed legislation that restricts transgender women and girls from participating on sports teams that align with their gender.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) recently signed legislation that would criminalize gender-affirming care for minors.