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EXECUTIVESUMMARY

We’veseenasteadyupwardclimbinAmerican’scomfortabilitywithandacceptance

ofLGBTQAmericanssince2015,theyearGLAADlauncheditsinauguralAccelerating

AcceptancestudywhichexaminestheprogresstheLGBTQmovementhasmadeandhelpsdefinethechallengeswehaveyettoovercome.Eachyear,thestudyresultsareaclear

demonstrationthatresponsiblerepresentationinmediaandfairandaccuratereportinghasapowerfulandmeasurableeffectonthelivesofLGBTQpeople.

Themostimportantfindingofour2023studyisthatsupportforLGBTQequalrightsisatanall-timehigh:84%ofsurveyrespondentssupportequalrightsfortheLGBTQcommunity.

Butthere’salsoadisturbingdownwardtrendincriticalareasrepresentingsome

Americans’beliefsinfalseclaimsaboutLGBTQpeople.Ofnon-LGBTQAmericans,66%believethefalseclaimthattheLGBTQcommunityisonegroupwhoallsharesimilarneedsandissues,and54%believethefalseclaimthatpeoplewhousethey/thempronounsare“intheprocessoffiguringoutwhotheyare.”Intruth,individualsusepronounstoexpressthemselvesaswhotheyareintheirfullness.AndtheLGBTQcommunityiseverywhere,ismultifaceted,andexistsinallpartsofsociety;thecommunity’sneedsandtruthsareas

variedasthepeoplewhocompriseit.

Thesefigurescorrelatewithariseinanti-LGBTQrhetoricfromfringepoliticiansand

extremistgroups,irresponsiblerepresentationsinnewsmedia,arecord-highnumberofanti-LGBTQbillsinstatelegislatures,andasharpuptickindiscriminationandviolencetargetingmembersofmarginalizedandminoritycommunities.

FromhavingLGBTQpeopleatplacesofworship,tolearningafamilymemberoryourdoctorisLGBTQ,aclearmajorityofnon-LGBTQpeoplearecomfortableinteracting

withLGBTQpeople.Anunprecedented91%believethatLGBTQpeopleshouldhavethefreedomtolivetheirliveswithoutdiscrimination.

YetLGBTQpeopleinAmericadofacehighlevelsofdiscrimination.Thenumberofanti-

LGBTQbillsthisyearisunmatchedinournation’shistoryatmorethan500proposedbills.Theshockingriseindiscriminatoryactionsfromourelectedrepresentativesistakingatoll.TheTrevorProject’s2023U.S.NationalSurveyontheMentalHealthofLGBTQYoung

Peoplefoundthat“nearly2in3LGBTQyoungpeoplesaidthathearingaboutpotentialstateorlocallawsbanningpeoplefromdiscussingLGBTQpeopleatschoolmadetheirmentalhealthalotworse.”

Lawstargetinghealthcarefortransgenderyouth,accesstorestrooms,beingableto

participateinschoolsports,andbansonbooksaboutLGBTQpeopleinschoollibrariesconveythedamagingnotionthatLGBTQpeoplearetobemarginalized,shunned,

orfeared.Theeffectisnotlimitedtoyoungpeople,butcaninfecttheirfamiliesand

communitiesaswell.ThemonthaftertheFloridaSenatepassedthe“Don’tSayLGBTQ”

billlastyear,tweetsmentioningtheLGBTQcommunityalongsideslurssuchas“groomer,”

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“pedophile,”and“predator”increased406%,accordingtoareportbytheHumanRightsCampaignandthenonprofitCenterforCounteringDigitalHate.Allfivemajorsocialplatforms—Facebook,Instagram,Twitter,YouTube,andTikTok—arefailing

LGBTQpeopleinhatespeech,harassment,andcyberbullying,andothercybersafetymetrics,asdocumentedinGLAAD’supcoming2023SocialMediaSafetyIndex.

Onlinehateisleadingtorealworldviolence.TheADL,intheOnlineHateand

Harassment:TheAmericanExperience2022reportfoundLGBTQrespondentsweremorelikelytoreporthate-basedharassmentthananyothergroup.

GLAAD’sstudyfoundthatAmericansseetheconnection:86%believethatexposure

tohatecontentonlineisleadingtoviolenceintherealworld,and66%ofAmericansbelievethatanti-LGBTQbillsandlegislationatthestatelevelwillleadtoincreased

discriminationandviolenceagainsttheLGBTQcommunity.GLAADhastrackedmorethan160anti-LGBTQthreatsandattacks—includingfirebombings—ondragevents

since2022,withasharpuptickbeginninginthePrideseasonthroughthemidterm

electionwhenfalserhetoricbyelectedofficialswasdeployedagainstdragperformers.

Thehopefulnewsisthatwehavedecadesofworktoshowthatfairandaccurate

journalism,visibilityinmedia,andcorporateresponsibilityallhaveanenormousroletoplay.WhenpeopleareexposedtoresponsiblerepresentationsofLGBTQpeople,

heartsandmindscanchange.60%agreethatseeingLGBTQpeopleinadvertising

makesthemmorecomfortablewithpeoplewhoaredifferentthanthemselves.Clear

majoritiesarecomfortableseeinganLGBTQcharacterinamovieorTVshow(73%)orinanad(75%),andseeinganLGBTQfamilywithchildreninanad(68%).

The2023AcceleratingAcceptancestudyclearlyshowsthedestructiverepercussionsofinaccuraterhetoricandbaselesslegislation,andshowcasesGLAAD’scrucialroleintheongoingfightfor

fullLGBTQequalityandacceptance.Thestudydemonstratesanurgentneedforeducation

andrepresentation,factorsweknowcanmoveattitudestowardfullacceptance.

GLAADiscommittedtoamplifyingstoriesthatpresentaudienceseverywherewiththerichnessandhumanityofourcommunities,thatconfrontandcorrectfalseanddangerousnarratives,

andinformaudiences,voters,journalists,andpoliticiansaboutoureverydaylives.

TheAcceleratingAcceptancereportismore

informationregardingwhat’satstakeforLGBTQpeopleandwhatweallneedtoknow.

SARAHKATEELLIS

President&CEO,GLAAD

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Fromhavingusatplacesofworship,tolearningafamilymemberisLGBTQ,tolearning

yourdoctorisLGBTQ,amajorityofnon-LGBTQpeoplearecomfortableinteractingwithus.

SupportforLGBTQequalrightsisatanall-timehigh

EqualrightsfortheLGBTQcommunityisatanalltimehigh,with84%ofnon-LGBTQpeopleagreeing.

%non-LGBTQpeopleagree:IsupportequalrightsfortheLGBTQcommunity

202179%

202281%

202384%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%

ComfortinteractingwiththeLGBTQcommunityinvariousscenariosisstable.

Havingagay,lesbianorbisexual

personatyourplaceofworshipHavinganonbinaryperson atyourplaceofworshipHavingatransgenderperson atyourplaceofworship Learningafamilymember isgay,lesbianorbisexual Seeingasame-sexcoupleholdinghands

Learningyourdoctoris

gay,lesbianorbisexual Learningafamily memberisnonbinary Learningyourafamilymemeberistransgender Learningyourdoctorisnonbinary

Learningyourdoctoristransgender

%non-LGBTQadultsthatarecomfortable...

80%

76%

76%

75%

74%

72%

68%

66%

64%

63%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%

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Ourcommunitycontinuestofacehighlevelsofdiscrimination

Awaveofanti-LGBTQprotestsandthreats

thatGLAADistracking

Despiteover90%ofnon-LGBTQpeopleagreeingthatLGBTQpeopleshouldhavethefreedomto

livetheirlifeandnotbediscriminatedagainst,wecontinuetofacehighlevelsofdiscrimination.

Anti-LGBTQlegislationatanall-timehigh

91%

ofnon-LGBTQpeopleagreethatLGBTQ

peopleshouldhavethefreedomtolive

theirlifeandnotbediscriminatedagainst

66%

ofnon-LGBTQpeople

agreethatanti-LGBTQ

billsandlegislationat

thestatelevelwillleadtoincreaseddiscriminationandviolenceagainsttheLGBTQcommunity

500+

Since2022,GLAADhastrackedover160incidentsof

anti-LGBTQprotestsandthreatstargetingdragevents,

withasharpuptickbeginninginPrideseason2022and

continuingthroughthemidtermelectioncycle.False

rhetoricwasdeployedagainstperformersincampaign

adsforthe2022midtermelections,andrhetoricescalatedtoviolenceincludingthefirebombingofaTulsadonut

shopthathadhostedadrageventinOctober2022.

ANTI-LGBTQBILLS

PROPOSEDIN2023

DatafromEqualityFederationshowover500

anti-LGBTQbillsthisyear.Eachoftheprevious

twoyears–2022and2021–wererecord-settingyearsforanti-LGBTQlegislation.

Theimpactofonlinehate

Source:EqualityFederation

%non-LGBTQpeopleagree

MostAmerican’sagreethatonlinehateis

leadingtorealworldviolence.TheADL,intheirOnlineHateandHarassment:TheAmerican

Experience2022reportfoundthatLGBTQrespondentsweremorelikelythananyothergroupsurveyedtoexperienceharassment.

86%

Ibelieveexposuretohatecontentonlineisleadingtoviolenceintherealworld

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Continuedconfusionaroundourcommunity

Therearefeelingsofconfusionandthatsomemembersofourcommunityarenewandunfamiliar,pointingtotheneedformediaexposureandfairandaccuraterepresentationofourcommunity.

Nonbinaryand

transgenderpeoplearenewandunfamiliartome

50%50%

Iamconfusedbyallthedifferentletters

andtermstodescribeindividualswho

comprisetheLGBTQcommunity

55%45%

IviewtheLGBTQcommunity

asonegroupwithsimilar

needsandissues

34%

66%

AgreeDisagree

Whenpeopleareexposedtousinmedia,itchangestheirheartsandminds.

Mediaexposureiscriticaltoincreasingfamiliarityandacceleratingacceptance.

upto

30%

increaseinfamiliarity

Indexofnon-

LGBTQpeople

familiarbasedonbeingexposedtousinmedia

%non-LGBTQpeopleagree

SeeingLGBTQpeopleinads

60%

makesmemorecomfortablewithpeoplewhoaredifferentthanme

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Highlevelsofcomfortabilityseeingusrepresentedinmedia

Corporateresponsibility

TOLEARNMORE

ABOUTHOWYOUCANTAKEACTIONFORTHELGBTQ

COMMUNITYGOTO

GLAAD.org/ActNow

Amaiorityofnon-LGBTQadultsarecomfortableseeingusinmedia,fromamovieorTVshow,toanadvertisement.

SeeingaLGBTQfamily

withchildrenincludedin

anadvertisement

SeeingaLGBTQpersonincludedinanadvertisement

25%

75%

SeeingaLGBTQcharacter