Gay, bisexual, and non-binary: When young people question heterosexuality

1.1. Young women identifying less as heterosexual

Same-sex sexuality and bisexuality can be defined in several ways. Being attracted
to, having or having had sex with people of the same sex, and identifying as gay or
bisexual are the criteria most used in statistical surveys. While strong links exist
between these three ways of defining sexuality, they do not intersect entirely (for
example, people may have sex with people of the same sex without identifying as gay
or bisexual). Identification is an interesting indicator in that it reflects the importance
given to sexuality in the construction of self and the way we present ourselves to
others. Between 2015 and 2023, the proportion of women aged 20–29 saying that they
were not heterosexual quintupled and that of men in the same age group quadrupled
(Figure 1).

This increase above all concerned young people [2]. The share of people identifying
as bisexual or pansexual has increased the most. Between 2015 and 2023, the number
of people aged 20–29 identifying as bisexual or pansexual increased by a factor of
slightly over 6. These individuals now account for 4% of men and nearly 14% of women
(Figure 1). It is among the latter in particular that heterosexual identification
has declined. The difference between bisexuality and pansexuality is the subject of
much debate, but they can be distinguished according to the place of gender in the
choice of sexual and romantic partners. Bisexual people are attracted to people of
both genders, while pansexual people desire people regardless of their gender. A deep-seated
transformation has occurred in this respect in recent years, with new identifications
not making the gender binary a nodal aspect of one’s sexual life, as is the case among
most individuals.

The number of bisexual and pansexual individuals has also increased in other European
countries and in North America [3]. This trend no doubt results to some extent from
greater acceptance and the improved reporting of these populations in statistical
surveys. Interestingly, the increase above all concerns bisexuality and pansexuality.
The broadening of sexual possibilities initiated with the recognition of same-sex
sexuality is continuing today with the increase in identifications not polarized on
a single sex.

The share of individuals attracted to people of both sexes has risen considerably
(18% of men and 37.2% of women in 2023), while the percentage of individuals attracted
exclusively to one sex has remained relatively stable (1.1% and 2.4%, respectively).
This is a deep-seated trend that does not simply concern people identifying as gay,
bisexual, or pansexual. The idea that desire is directed towards one sex exclusively
is less and less the norm, particularly among women. This broadening can be attributed
in part to the numerous restrictions experienced by women in heterosexual relationships,
concerning not just the risk of violence but the uneven distribution of housework [4]
and gender inequalities in private life [5]. It is also inseparable from the fact
that women tend to be more accepting of same-sex relationships than men. The increase
in non-heterosexual identifications and attractions results not simply from more assertive
desires but from a shift in sensibilities and perceptions regarding relationships
between men and women, largely among the latter.

1.2. Younger sexual minorities with distinct lifestyles

Looking beyond identification, what distinguishes sexual minorities from young heterosexuals?
Age differences are slight among men but more emphatic among women (Figure 2). Far
fewer young women identify as heterosexual: 78% of women aged 18–21 compared with
87% of women aged 26–29. This can be seen as a generational issue, as these women
belong to cohorts having been teenagers during the rise of the #MeToo movement in
France (starting in 2018), which, as well as condemning sexual violence, also challenged
the heterosexual norm. Age could also be a factor, since we do not know yet if young
individuals will identify differently as they age.

Announcement

The specific nature of the intimate experiences of sexual minorities can also be seen
in their sexual and emotional arrangements (Figure 3). This specificity relates to
their younger age but also reflects lifestyle differences. While most young people,
independently of their sexual identification, have been in a couple, the experiences
of sexual minorities are characterized more by having had ‘one-night stands’. Among
women, this is particularly true for bisexual and pansexual individuals. Among men,
these experiences are more common for gay and pansexual individuals. But these non-couple
relationships are not exclusive to sexual minorities; they constitute a moment of
‘sexual youth’ made up of numerous experiences common to a large proportion of young
people [1].

1.3. Bisexuality and pansexuality focused more on the opposite sex

While deviation from the heterosexual norm is common among sexual minorities, differences
exist among the latter, particularly regarding their sexual partners. Among lesbian
women and gay men, individuals having exclusively had same-sex partners (36% of lesbian
women, 45% of gay men) can be distinguished from those having had partners of both
sexes (44% of lesbian women, 39% of gay men; Figure 4). The high percentage of life
courses focused solely on same-sex partners is unprecedented. When same-sex sexuality
(and female same-sex sexuality in particular) was less visible, it was rare for individuals
to have only had partners of the same sex. This decrease in heterosexual experiences
in the life courses of gay and lesbian individuals is also illustrated in the sex
of the partners with whom they first had sex (Figure 3).

Pansexual women differ from bisexual women in having had partners of both sexes less
often (44% vs. 57%) and different-sex partners more often (45% vs. 24%). Very few
said they had only had female partners. Similarly, most bisexual and pansexual women
had their first sexual experience with a man.

The experiences of bisexual and pansexual men are less contrasted and of a different
nature than those of women, with more pansexual than bisexual men saying that they
had sex exclusively with same-sex partners (17% vs. 3%). As among bisexual and pansexual
women, most bisexual and pansexual men say their first sexual experience was with
a different-sex partner, though a large proportion of pansexual men (a very small
group) say that they have had a male partner.

1.4. The sexuality of non-binary people

Minority sexual identifications are more common among certain groups of young people.
This is particularly true for non-binary individuals identifying neither as men or
women and accounting for 1.7% of 18- to 29-year-olds in France. This group is to be
distinguished from cisgender individuals, whose gender identification corresponds
to their sex at birth, and trans women and men, whose gender identification is distinct
from their sex at birth.¹ Statistical data remain scarce for non-binary people [6], but they show that the
individuals concerned are particularly young, with 51% of non-binary people aged 18–29
being under 21.

There is a clear overlap between identification as non-binary and as a sexual minority
(Table 1). While non-binary individuals distance themselves from heterosexuality (14.7%
identifying as such), they also hold same-sex sexuality at arm’s length (12.6%). The
most common identifications among this population are bisexuality (21.5%) and, above
all, pansexuality (38.5%). This reflects a refusal of sexual binarism and also of
gender as a decisive frame of reference in the choice of partners. Half of non-binary
individuals (49.5%) report the same attraction for both sexes, and this is reflected
in sexual practices, with over 1 in 3 non-binary people having had partners of both sexes.

Numerous non-binary people (12.7%) also identify as asexual (see Box 2). In addition,
15.6% say that do not feel a sexual attraction and 30% that they have never had sex.
While this aspect can be explained in part by their youth, attractions and identifications
also reflect a distancing from the central place given to sexuality in relationships.

***

Many contrasting trends are afoot in gender and sexuality among young people. While
the heterosexual norm is predominant among young people, many of them are calling
it into question in their ways of identifying and their sexual desires and practices.
This questioning concerns not just ­sexuality but gender, as a binary category or
a dominant frame of reference in sexual and partnership choices. The issue is not
simply to extend the realm of sexual possibilities to include other forms of relationships
and other partners, but to challenge heteronormativity.