Starters, GoPo Lessons Jonathan Milner Starters, GoPo Lessons Jonathan Milner

What percent of Americans self-identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Something Other Than Heterosexual?

Critical Analysis

Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:

  1. According to the data from the visual above, what percent of Americans self-identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Something Other Than Heterosexual?

  2. According to the data from the graph above, describe one trend or change over time in the data represented in the visual above.

  3. According to the visual below* how does LGBTQ+ identity change by generation?

  4. According to the visual below* there are almost 10 times as many LGBTQ+ identifying Americans of Generation Z (born 1997-2006) as their were in the Boomer Generation (born before 1945). Why do you think that is?

  5. The next generation after Gen Z is the Alpha Generation - people born between the early 2010s and the mid-2020s. Based on the visual below* what percent of the Alpha generation would you predict to be self-identify as LGBTQ+?

  6. Whether due to political sorting or something else, Democrats (14%) and independents (11%) are far more likely than Republicans (3%) to identify as LGBTQ+. Even stronger differences are seen by ideology, with 21% of liberals, compared with 8% of moderates and 3% of conservatives, saying they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Why do you think this is?

  7. The Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) legalized same-sex marriage nationwide and established that same-sex couples have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. The 5-4 decision was based on the 14th Amendment's Due Process and Equal Protection clauses. The 2015 Supreme Court was made up of 4 liberals and 5 conservatives. The current Court is made up of 3 liberals and 6 conservatives. Describe the process by which the Supreme Court could overturn the constitutional protection of marriage.

  8. What formerly-Constitutionally protected right did the Supreme Court overturn in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022)?

  9. The other day in class, a student named Roo said that sexual orientation is an appropriate topic to study in an AP Psych class, but that it should not be discussed in an AP Government and Politics class. Make a claim responding to Roo’s statement.

  10. The National Park Service website exploring the history and significance of the Stonewall Uprising has been stripped of any mention of transgender people. The page was also updated to remove the "T" from the previously used acronym "LGBTQ+" — now, referring to the community as either "LGB" or "LGBQ." References to the word "queer" have also been removed. When describing the Stonewall Uprising, the website now reads: "Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) person was illegal, but the events at the Stonewall Inn sparked fresh momentum for the LGB civil rights movement!" Why do you think the National Park Service removed the TQ from LGBTQ and what letters will they remove next?

Write and Discuss

Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.

Act on your Learning

You can’t vote for the Supreme Court but you can vote for Senators who get to approve presidential nominees for the Supreme Court. Take two minutes and go online to register to vote.

Get Creative

The National Park Service has removed the TQ from LGBTQ+. Imagine the head of the Park Service and their communications director discussing how many letters to remove from LGBTQ+. Write a short script or write out the minutes of the meeting of what you imagine that meeting was like.

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