SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Google searches from 2004 to 2023 show that Utah ranks No. 1 in searches for terms like “Am I gay?”, “Am I lesbian?”, and “Am I trans?”
The data was originally pulled by researchers from Cultural Currents Institute from Google Trends and confirmed by ABC4. CCI also pointed out that searches for questions about sexual and gender identity have spiked 1,300% nationwide since 2004.
CCI also researched two other terms: “How to come out” and “non-binary.” Utah did not place in the top 5 for either of those search terms.
CCI believes the data shows Utah to be the “most closeted state” in America.
“This might indicate a significant underlying questioning of identity among its internet users, possibly driven by the conflict between personal feelings and societal expectations,” stated CCI’s post. “…Other socially conservative states also showed evidence of tension between social attitudes and private experience…”
CCI pointed out that the data is “relative,” noting that the search terms they researched represent a percentage out of all searches in the region. In other words, it’s not just that more people started using Google during that time. The five terms researched have been grouped by their popularity across each state with 100 being awarded for the states where they were the most popular and decreasing from there.
Top 5 States for Each Search Term
“Am I Gay?”
- Utah (100)
- Iowa (99)
- Indiana (93)
- West Virginia (92)
- New Hampshire (91)
“Am I lesbian?”
- Utah (100)
- Connecticut (69)
- Kentucky (65)
- Washington (64)
- Colorado (59)
“Am I trans?”
- Utah (100)
- Kentucky (97)
- Colorado (71)
- Michigan (70)
- Washington (66)
“How to Come Out”
- Oklahoma (100)
- West Virginia (100)
- Mississippi (96)
- Louisiana (92)
- Kentucky (92)
“Non-binary”
(Note: The term “Am I non-binary?” did not return enough data for Google to provide search results. CCI chose to use just the term “non-binary” instead.)
- Vermont (100)
- Oregon (88)
- Maine (85)
- Montana (77)
- Washington (75)
