1 in 6 Gen Z Americans are LGBT - the highest rate ever recorded

• The Gallup poll found 5.6% of all US adults identify as transgender, lesbian, bisexual, or gay.
• This is a record number of LGBT people recorded in the US.
• Experts say the increase is likely due to more acceptance for queer people in the US.

More adults in the US are openly identifying as LGBT than ever before, according to a new study by Gallup. The study found 5.6% of all people over 18 in the US identify as lesbian, bisexual, gay, or transgender.

This is up more than 1% from a 2017 Gallup poll (which found 4.5% identified as LGBT) and a 2% increase from 2014 (3.7%).

People belonging to "Generation Z," those born between 1997 and 2012, identified as LGBT at the highest rate: approximately 16% - roughly one in six.

Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and chief executive of GLAAD, credited years of activists fighting for LGBT acceptance in the US, since the first stone was thrown by Marsha P. Johnson at Stonewall over 50 years ago.

"I think the findings prove that visibility and acceptance, when combined, will bust out closet doors," Ellis said.

The study found over half of the LGBT people surveyed identified as bisexual

The study was done using interviews with 15,000 Americans about their sexuality and gender. Rather than giving a "yes" or "no" answer to each category, researchers asked participants what category they fit into with an option to say "other" and describe their identity further.

Of the people who identified as LGBT:

• 11.7% identified as lesbians;
• 24.5% identified as gay;
• 54.6% identified as bisexual;
• 11.3% identified as transgender;
• 3.3% identified as other categories like queer or same-gender-loving.

Experts say the results reflect an increase in LGBTQ+ acceptance and visibility across the country

In a world where JoJo Siwa, one of Nickelodeon's most visible stars, can be openly queer and even Hannah Montana herself is out, it doesn't come as a shock that more people are coming out.

More teens are able to join queer organizations in their high schools, see themselves represented on television shows like "Pose" and "Sex Education," and can attend their proms with the partner of their choosing without pushback. Many queer teens are also able to access queer community younger than any generation before.

All of these factors make coming out more accessible to more young queer people.

"Young adults, in particular, feel empowered to publicly claim their identities-a compelling finding and validation for the past generations of LGBTQ advocates who have long fought for full equality," Alphonso David, President of the Human Rights Campaign, said.