On October 11, which is National Coming Out Day, Facebook released a report that states the number of people coming out daily is thrice the number 12 months ago, reports PC News.
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Facebook says that on a typical day only one out of ten people change their “interested in” status to reflect their interest in the same gender.
Now Facebook has compiled and published statistics regarding its United States users who have “come out” during the past year.
It very much appears as if the Supreme Court case on marriage equality this year correlates with a consistent increase in the rate of people coming out on the site.
Of course, not all parts of the country are equally friendly and tolerant of LGBT people, and the company has also revealed which states have the most, and least, out LGBT people.
In the past year, about 800,000 Americans came out on Facebook. The Facebook team noted a particular spike in the number of users that came out follow the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision in late June. This first one shows the total number of Americans who have come out since National Coming Out Day in 2014.
When the lead-up to the Supreme Court’s decision was making headlines, over 26 million people modified their profile pictures with a rainbow filter to show their support.
In charting this data, the social media site included two other dates preceding June 26: the December 1 observance of World AIDS Day and the beginning of the Obergefell v. Hodges arguments in April. The actual numbers may be affected by Facebook’s chosen definition, but there’s clearly a social trend this year. But, this ratio doubled on the day the Supreme Court gave its ruling.
The important change made by the social website introduced a whole new system to their users, meaning that they have the opportunity to specify their gender designations like transgender or androgynous.
The support of LGBT rights groups on Facebook is also on the rise.
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They also found fans of LGBT-specific groups saw an increase of 25 percent. Human Rights Campaign Foundation director of research and public education, Jay Brown recognized and congratulated Facebook’s initiative. He thinks Facebook’s latest figures prove “just what a difference visibility makes to LGBT people”.
