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Ninth-graders abandoning queer labels at dramatic rate, stumping researchers

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Fox News. (2026, October 13). Ninth-graders abandoning queer labels at dramatic rate, stumping researchers. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/12/lifestyle/teen-girls-identifying-as-lesbian-or-bisexual-plummet-in-stunning-reversal-new-data-shows/

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New York Post · collected 2026-10-13 · by Fox News

Quick Summary

A new study shows that ninth-grade girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual have decreased significantly from 30% in 2021 to 17% in 2025, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. This decline is particularly notable among those who previously identified as bisexual alone, whose numbers dropped from 26% to 13%. Researchers are struggling to explain this trend, which contradicts earlier increases observed post-COVID-19 pandemic. While some attribute the shift to political changes under former President Joe Biden, others like Walt Heyer caution against premature conclusions and emphasize the need for further research.
Written by AI on 2026-10-13, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The number of ninth-grade girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual has sharply declined from 30% in 2021 to just 17% in 2025, according to data highlighted by The Washington Post. Specifically, those identifying solely as bisexual dropped significantly, from 26% to 13% during the same period. This trend contrasts with boys' identification rates, which have remained relatively stable over a decade. While younger girls show this decline, older teenage girls still exhibit higher rates compared to pre-pandemic levels, suggesting a complex shift in how young Americans define their sexual orientation. Walt Heyer cautions against drawing definitive conclusions without further research, while Jean Twenge attributes the trend to factors unrelated to presidential administrations.

Written for “Teen Identity Labels Evolving” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Teen Identity Labels Evolving
Education · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 40% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 4 of 45 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different topics: one is about unpacking the manosphere and answering questions related to masculinity and relationships, while the other reports on ninth-graders abandoning queer labels, focusing on a shift in sexual orientation identification.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
10
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
40%
4 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Education
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-13 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16360 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Fox News
415 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by Fox News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 415 articles by Fox News →

Topics

Americans Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fox News Post The Washington Post

Subjects

The Washington Post ORG · 3× Americans NORP · 1× Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ORG · 1× Fox News ORG · 1× Jean Twenge PERSON · 1× Joe Biden PERSON · 1× Post ORG · 1× Rachel del Guidice PERSON · 1× San Diego State University ORG · 1× Terry Schilling PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Walt Heyer, who detransitioned 40 years ago after identifying as a woman for eight years and author of many books, including “Trans Life Survivors,” cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from the findings, telling Fox News Digital that more research is needed before declaring a lasting shift. “It’s premature to celebrate this one report as proof of a downward trend,” Heyer said.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-13
🔮 Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University who published her analysis of the 2025 data on her Substack “Generation Tech,” told The Washington Post that the downward trend began while former President Joe Biden was still in office, casting doubt on whether the shift could be attributed to a change in presidential administrations.

Claims (10 extracted, 4 hedged)

Ninth-graders abandoning queer labels at dramatic rate, stumping researchers By asserted
graders → abandon → researchers
The number of teenage girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual has plunged in just four years, according to new data highlighted by The Washington Post, revealing a dramatic shift in how young Americans describe their sexual orientation and leaving researchers searching for answers. uncertain
Americans → identify → answers
The share of ninth-grade girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual dropped from 30% in 2021 to just 17% in 2025, while those identifying as bisexual alone fell by half, from 26% to 13%, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data cited in the report. uncertain
those → identify → report
The percentage of boys identifying as gay or bisexual has remained largely unchanged over the past decade, while the share of high school girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual surged following the COVID-19 pandemic before beginning to decline, the Post reported. asserted
Post → identify → pandemic
Although those numbers have continued to fall, rates among older teenage girls have remained relatively steady and are still higher than before the pandemic, the outlet reported. asserted
outlet → continue → pandemic
Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University who published her analysis of the 2025 data on her Substack “Generation Tech,” told The Washington Post that the downward trend began while former President Joe Biden was still in office, casting doubt on whether the shift could be attributed to a change in presidential administrations. uncertain
shift → publish → administrations
In a recent post on X about the development, Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project wrote, “Amazing what happens when you cut the Department of Education and USAID.” asserted
you → write → Education
The available data also does not explain why such a political transition would affect certain age groups differently, according to The Washington Post. uncertain
transition → explain → Post
Walt Heyer, who detransitioned 40 years ago after identifying as a woman for eight years and author of many books, including “Trans Life Survivors,” cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from the findings, telling Fox News Digital that more research is needed before declaring a lasting shift. “It’s premature to celebrate this one report as proof of a downward trend,” Heyer said. asserted
Heyer → detransitione → trend
“Better to be skeptical and conduct more studies before we put this study in the win column.” asserted
we → conduct → column
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