I’ll never forget overhearing one of my teachers on the phone, his voice low but his words unmistakable: “These gay kids seriously need to seek counseling from a pastor or something! A purely environmental problem can definitely be fixed.” Hearing that wasn’t just unsettling — it was a bitter reminder of how deeply ingrained misconceptions about our generation are.

In the ongoing culture war over gender and sexual identity, one accusation hurled at Gen Z — people born between 1997 and 2012 — stands out to me for its sheer absurdity: the idea that young people are “brainwashed” into identifying as queer. This narrative argues that TikTok algorithms, liberal teachers, and rainbow capitalism have joined forces to manufacture an army of LGBTQ+ youth. But the “logic” behind this claim crumbles under basic scrutiny.

Let’s start with the numbers. Yes, surveys show that Gen Z has a higher percentage of people identifying as LGBTQ+ than any previous generation. In 2023, Gallup reported that about 22.3 percent of Gen Z identified as non-heterosexual, compared to just 2.3 percent of Baby Boomers. But this isn’t evidence of some covert indoctrination campaign; it’s just proof that ingrained social stigmas are finally starting to wear away.

For decades — centuries, even — being queer wasn’t just stigmatized. It meant losing one’s job, one’s family, or even one’s life. During the Nazi persecution of homosexuals, an estimated 5,000 to 15,000 homosexuals were subject to inhumane medical experiments in concentration camps and left to die. Later in the mid-1900s, the Lavender Scare resulted in tens of thousands of gay workers being publicly humiliated and losing their jobs. In fact, only until 1973 was homosexuality taken off the list of mental illnesses that professionals were trained to treat.

Of course, that’s not to say people today don’t experience consequences for coming out. The normalization of queerness through culture and media certainly plays a large role in the 20 percent difference between generations. However, this doesn’t mean fewer queer people existed back then; it just meant fewer felt safe enough to say so, or even become fully aware of it themselves. Gen Z didn’t create queerness — neither is this generation “converting” straight people into possessing an inauthentic sexual orientation. Rather, they’re simply the first generation to live in a culture that encourages authenticity.

Part of the backlash stems from an old, misguided belief that being queer is a choice. This argument has been used to justify discrimination for decades: if it’s a choice, the logic goes, then it’s fair to criticize or even try to change it (hence, conversion therapy as a “solution”). This argument conveniently ignores both the intrinsic nature of one’s identity as well as the actual lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people.

It is so much more nuanced than waking up one day and suddenly deciding to be queer. Human identity is shaped by a complex interplay of biological and environmental factors. Studies suggest that genetics, prenatal development, and even hormonal exposure can all play a role in determining one’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Of course, our environment matters too. This includes the cultural, familial, societal frameworks that shape our sense of self. People raised in open, supportive households are more likely to have the freedom to express their identity. Conversely, in environments where queerness is stigmatized, people may feel forced to suppress parts of themselves. This is why some people don’t “realize” they’re queer until after their childhood — they may have been raised in an environment where being queer either wasn’t acceptable, or was an unheard of concept.

But environmental factors — like exposure to inclusive language or representation — are not equivalent to brainwashing. Brainwashing implies coercion and manipulation with the goal of replacing someone’s beliefs with new ones, often against their will. In contrast, environmental factors provide the context for individuals to better understand parts of themselves that were there to begin with. These factors don’t dictate identity but rather create an environment where self-discovery can thrive.

The accusation of brainwashing is only true for conversion therapy, which is established as invasive and not an environmental factor, but an external factor — all to forcibly change someone’s identity. Research has also consistently shown that conversion therapy is not only ineffective but also causes significant psychological harm, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among those subjected to it.

There’s another layer of complexity here: identity isn’t as rigid as many people think, and this is essential to understanding the trend we see with Gen Z. The idea that people need to pick a side or neatly categorize themselves under labels is rooted in binary thinking. Queerness exists on a spectrum, with few (if any) people landing 100 percent at one extreme or the other. It’s not about immediately finding a label that suits oneself — it’s about allowing individuals the space to explore without fear or judgment. Some people may experiment with labels before finding the one that feels right, and others might not feel the need to label themselves at all. That doesn’t make their experiences less valid, in fact, it’s what makes them human.

This shift in perspective is what sets Gen Z apart. It’s not a rush to forcefully identify as queer, as critics claim, but rather a collective understanding that the spectrum of human identity is broader, more fluid than we’ve historically acknowledged. By growing up in an era of unprecedented access to information and open conversations about equity and inclusion, Gen Z has been able to question binary thinking without the same level of pushback by previous generations. Those who identify as queer did not suddenly choose to “become” queer; they’re simply better equipped with the freedom to articulate who they’ve always been.

The uncomfortable truth behind the “brainwashing” rhetoric is that people use it as a smokescreen for anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry. By framing queerness as something to be “taught,” critics reduce LGBTQ+ identities to a problem to be solved rather than an expression of human diversity. It’s easier to rail against teachers and social media than to reckon with the fact that a freer society makes queerness more visible.

So no, Gen Z isn’t being indoctrinated into queerness. They’re breaking free from a history of extreme prejudices. And if that makes some people uncomfortable, it’s worth asking: is the problem really Gen Z, or is it a society that’s still struggling to mind their own business, and let people be themselves?