About one in four high school students across the nation identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, other, or questioning their sexuality (LGBQ), according to a recent report from CDC.
The report showed 75.5 percent of students between the ages of 14 and 18 self-identified as heterosexual, based on data collected through the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in 2021 (pdf). The report is based on 17,232 completed and “usable” student questionnaires from 152 high schools nationwide.
The 2021 YRBS questionnaire was made up of 99 questions, including: “What is your sex?” The answer options were male or female (pdf).
Students were also asked which term best described their sexual identity: “heterosexual (straight),” “gay or lesbian,” “bisexual,” “I describe sexual identity in some other way,” “I am not sure about my sexual identity (questioning),” or “I do not know what this question is asking.”…