San Francisco: Online searches on Google for phrases that make users question their own sexuality and gender identity, including ‘am I gay’ and ‘am I lesbian’, have soared by 1,300 per cent since 2004. A new report has revealed.
The findings, published by market research firm Cultural Currents Institute, aggregated Google Trends data from January 2004 to this month for questions related to sexual orientation and gender identity across the United States.
Five search terms — ‘am gay’, ‘am lesbian’, ‘am trans’, ‘how to come out’, and ‘nonbinary’ — have seen a significant upward trend across the US .
According to the report, Utah, a state with traditionally ‘conservative social values’, has topped three out of five search term categories – ‘am gay’, ‘am lesbian’ and ‘am trans’ since last May.
“This may indicate a significant underlying questioning of identity among its Internet users, possibly driven by a conflict between personal feelings and societal expectations,” the report said.
“These tensions between public life and web searches are common in Utah, where we recently shared data indicating that searches for ‘VPN’ increased after the state blocked the website Pornhub.”
In addition, the report noted that Oklahoma had the highest search volume for the phrase ‘how to come out’ last year, followed by West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky.
Kentucky ranked second in four categories measuring equality.
The report further states that historical search volume for the term ‘nonbinary’ was limited but searches were gaining traction. Since last May, Vermont has had the highest search volume for the term.