Detransitioner Questions Declines in Teen LGBTQ+ Identification, Cites Social Media Influence

Walt Heyer, who detransitioned after identifying as a woman for eight years, has expressed skepticism about recent reports indicating a significant decrease in teenagers identifying as gay or bisexual. Heyer, now a senior fellow at the Family Research Council, suggested in an interview with Fox News Digital that social media and peer pressure might be influencing how adolescents describe their sexual orientation.

"I don't really believe that there's a big dramatic free fall," Heyer stated, referring to data that suggests a decline in these identities among some teenagers. He posited that social pressures, amplified by social media, may lead some teens to be reluctant to openly identify as gay or bisexual, opting instead to withhold such information.

These comments follow reports, such as one in The Washington Post citing CDC data, which highlighted a decrease in ninth-grade girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual, falling from 30% in 2021 to 17% in 2025. The share identifying as bisexual alone dropped from 26% to 13% during the same period. The Post's report indicated that the percentage of boys identifying as gay or bisexual has remained relatively stable over the past decade, while high school girls' identification surged post-pandemic before starting to decline.

Heyer, who has worked with individuals questioning their gender identities, believes that social dynamics among young people can complicate the interpretation of such data. "I've had actual people in school saying that they're bullied into identifying one way, or they're bullying and bullied to not identify that way," he said. He reiterated his skepticism about the reported decline, suggesting that social media trends may encourage some to suppress their true identities publicly.

Heyer also stated his belief that societal pressures contribute to young people adopting identities that do not align with their biological sex. "What's interesting about that is that many kids are sort of coerced by their peers to say things one way or the other, so I've been very skeptical about what the kids are saying, whether they're gay or bisexual," he remarked.

He further asserted that gender transition procedures do not constitute a biological change, describing them as a "cosmetic social appearance." Heyer believes that adopting such labels and undergoing procedures can be an act of rejecting religious or biological truths.

Heyer urged researchers to conduct more thorough studies before drawing firm conclusions about a lasting shift in sexual identity. "I just think it's important for us to be much more thorough and go to other areas before we come to some conclusion that there's a giant, giant drop in these identities. I don't think we're there yet."