Beth Ann Rosica: Pandemic policies sparked a transgender spike — and the reversal has begun
According to a recent study, transgender social contagion appears to be on the decline with numbers closer to pre-pandemic levels. For those of us who fought against extended school closures and lockdowns, this data comes as no surprise.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) in partnership with College Pulse conducts an annual survey of college students to rank schools based on free speech. The study includes questions related to gender and sexual orientation, and historical results show a peak in 2023 for students who identify as gender non-conforming and those who list their sexual orientation as bi-sexual, queer, questioning and other.
This year, FIRE surveyed 68,000 students across 257 colleges and universities. Since 2020, 278,536 have participated in the study.
The question, “which of the following genders do you most identify with” included three choices for responses: male, female, and non-conforming. The chart below shows that in 2020, only 2.9 percent of college students surveyed identified as non-conforming. The number rose to 3.6 percent in 2021 and then peaked in 2022 and 2023 at 6.7 percent. By 2024, the retreat had begun, dipping down to 5.2 percent and ending this year at 3.6 percent. The 2025 results are close to the numbers at the beginning of the Covid lockdowns.
FIRE survey results of students who identify as gender non-conforming
Similarly, students were asked to identify their sexual orientation with four possible responses, including: heterosexual, gay/lesbian, bi-sexual, and queer/questioning/other. The responses from gay and lesbian students remained fairly consistent over the five year time period, starting at 3.9 percent in 2020 and increasing to 4.5 percent in 2022 and staying steady through 2025.
The changes for bi-sexual and queer/questioning/other students are similar to the trend for non-conforming students. Students listing their sexual orientation as queer/questioning/other started at 6.7 percent in 2020, peaked at 14.5 percent in 2023 and is now down to 7.7 percent in 2025. Those identified as bi-sexual showed an increase from 9.4 percent in 2020 to 12 percent in 2021 through 2024 with a decrease to 10 percent in 2025.
FIRE survey results of students who identify other than heterosexual
In 2023 on the third anniversary of school closures, I wrote about the exponential rise of gender ideology in K-12 schools. At the time, I spoke with a local school psychologist who asked to remain anonymous, and he told me that over the course of 20 years prior to Covid, he would see one to two students who identified differently from their biological sex. When returning to the classroom post-Covid, that number rose exponentially to about 20 to 25 percent of all kids, and now has come back down to closer to five percent.
His assertions in 2023 are consistent with the FIRE data, as less than four percent of college students identified as gender non-conforming in 2025.
For those who doubted the extended school closures and lockdowns did not contribute or cause the significant rise of transgenderism, the data is clear. Children and young people suffered greatly as the result of draconian policies and political maneuvering by groups like the national teachers’ unions. Adolescent mental health plummeted during this time, and several studies have shown a strong correlation between gender dysphoria and other mental health issues.
The Cass Review published in 2024 by the England National Health Service was a groundbreaking independent review of gender identity services for children and young people. The study found a large number of youth with gender dysphoria have co-occurring mental health disorders that are not being properly addressed.
“A high percentage of transgender youth have co-occurring mental health issues, in addition to a high number of youth on the autistic spectrum. Many youth seeking treatment [for gender dysphoria] have experienced significant adverse childhood events, including trauma.” (p. 91)
As a result of the Cass Review, most European countries stopped or significantly limited access to medical interventions, including hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries for youth with gender dysphoria.
Similarly in 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a review of evidence and best practices in the treatment of pediatric gender dysphoria. Its findings were consistent with the Cass Review.
“The current patient [those diagnosed with gender dysphoria] population has a high rate (relative to the general population) of comorbid mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, suicidality, self-harm, and eating disorders; as well as neurodevelopmental conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD).” (p. 65)
The rapid increase in gender identity confusion among children, adolescents, and college students appears to be, at least in part, related to the mental health crisis caused by the extended school closures and lockdocks. Young people were locked away in their bedrooms, could not interact with friends and family outside of their home, and spent far too much time in front of screens.
Many children, adolescents, and young adults found solace on the internet where they attempted to deal with their social isolation. Questioning your gender identity was considered “cool” online and some used it as attention-seeking behavior during a very confusing and challenging time.
Detransitioners — people who stop or reverse their gender transition — speak out regularly about the harmful messaging on social media about gender identity.
I saw Chloe Cole speak in 2023 where she shared her experience with gender dysphoria and added that she also suffered from body dysmorphia at the start of her teen years. She cited social media as the cause for many of these issues. Cole got a cell phone in sixth grade and set up an Instagram account. She started seeing images of full chested, beautiful women and how they were idolized on social media. Cole began to feel that she could not live up these images. Then her Instagram account started showing pictures and posts about transgender kids, and it looked very inviting. “I could opt out of being a girl.”
Cole and others warn against the harms of social media as it relates to encouraging gender ideology.
“Now that laptops, tablets, and phones are readily available and in the hands of our children, the gender industry has used them mightily,” writes Kallie Fell, executive director of the Center for Bioethics and Culture. “Children are exposed more than ever to social media apps, influencers, celebrities, message boards, and more. With a click of a button, young children and adolescents can be exposed to transgender ideology.”
While the trajectory of children, adolescents, and young adults identifying as gender non-conforming is heading in the right direction, we are still digging out of a very big hole as a result of school closures and lockdowns. Sadly, many young people were — and still are — negatively impacted by harmful policies and prolonged social media screen time.
Beth Ann Rosica resides in West Chester, has a Ph.D. in Education, and has dedicated her career to advocating on behalf of at-risk children and families. She covers education issues for Broad + Liberty. Contact her at barosica@broadandliberty.com.
I’m curious why the author believes that the trajectory of children, adolescents, and young adults identifying as gender non-conforming is “heading in the right direction,” as if it’s a problem for someone to identify as gender non-conforming.
“I’m curious why…”
This is a classic setup for a rhetorical question disguised as genuine inquiry. It positions the commenter as intellectually open-minded, but it’s not seeking real explanation and instead it implies the author’s belief is misguided or unjustified. The word “curious” softens the attack, making it seem polite, but it sets up a challenge without directly stating disagreement.
Using air quotes around “heading in the right direction” seems to mock or undermine the phrase, and isn’t necessary. It comes across as sarcastic, and suggests the direction (a decrease in gender non-conforming identification) is actually negative or regressive. It frames the author’s optimism as naive or biased, without engaging directly with any of the ideas the author provided.
Please let me satisfy your curiosity with the following direct answer:
The push for widespread gender non-conformity amplifies identity politics, framing traditional gender roles as oppressive and non-conformers as victims/heroes. This creates endless conflict (e.g., debates over bathrooms, sports, pronouns) which is a Marxist tactic to mask class struggle. A decline signals less success in this insidious polarization, allowing society to refocus on unifying challenges like getting children to normal literacy rates, increase arithmetic skills, address economic inequality outcomes vs equal opportunities, and new ideas for community enrichment, rather than fracturing along ever-narrower identity lines. Perhaps you do not realize that 1990s research (e.g., Bailey’s work on sexual orientation) showed most childhood gender non-conformity resolves naturally by adulthood (80-90% desistance rates.) And more recent data (e.g., UK’s Cass Review, 2024) also showed this, linking rapid increases to social factors, not innate rises, and that recommends caution. Stability aids societal productivity and well-being.
You’re creating a false dichotomy by suggesting that if people in society are gender non-conforming, then society and the government can’t also focus on literacy, math skills, economic inequality, or other social challenges, which simply isn’t true. Throughout human history, there have always been people who expressed themselves as gender non-conforming, and societies and governments have still managed to address the challenges you mentioned.
Tyrone, congratulations on a more direct approach rather than your previous passive aggressive tact. Unfortunately, your response falsely pretends my claim was society can’t address multiple issues at once… but that’s not what I wrote. Your reply is wrong, misleading, and attempts to shift the conversation. Instead of addressing my actual reply, you seem to have created a distorted version which you think may be easier to refute rather than address what I actually previously wrote.
I argued that the amplified push for gender non-conformity via identity politics creates unnecessary polarization and endless conflict which are the goals of Marxists. Having less of that in our society is good.
So, it’s not a false dichotomy at all but rather two separate and specific topics: 1) confronting endless conflicts which is a Marxist tactic (my initial point) and now 2) addressing opportunity cost (this new strawman argument you just introduced.)
As for your newly introduced Strawman argument: Estimates show that transgender or gender-diverse identification is 0.1-0.6% in the general population which is significantly less than 1%. Meanwhile, issues like childhood literacy (where U.S. rates hover around 65% proficiency) we are talking about millions of children. In the U.S., there are about 3.7 million fourth graders which means about 2.4 million of those fourth grade children are not reading proficiently. Other ideas such as economic inequality affect tens of millions. Thus, prioritizing based on impact is pragmatic. Data suggests 80-90% of childhood gender non-conformity historically resolves naturally by adulthood. Basically, focusing so much time and attention to this matter is unintelligent and no reasonable person would argue for that approach because it consumes outsized societal energy.
Most people are tired of the far-left’s unintelligent and careless arguments, which are almost always selfish and harmful to general society.
“Basically, focusing so much time and attention to this matter is unintelligent and no reasonable person would argue for that approach because it consumes outsized societal energy.” Doesn’t writing an article on this topic literally focus time and attention on it?
Would you mind stating examples of identity politics that amplify push for gender non-conformity.
Tyrone, I’m going to respond by presuming you’re sincere. I don’t think for a minute that you are, but my response will pretend that you are legitimately confused.
The teachers insisting on pushing their foolish and misguided beliefs, and putting up political propaganda are the ones allocating inappropriate time and attention to this divisive topic with posters that read: “This is a place where human rights are respected and where gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, two spirit, and queer people, and their friends, and allies are welcomed and supported.” Those categories have nothing to do with one another and they leave out other categories completely. That precise language, from a common poster put up by Marxists ideologues all around Philadelphia and the collar counties, is a small yet prime example of identity politics that amplify and push for endless conflict. Writing an article on this topic is useful because it alerts the community and as a comparison of human effort and labor is is a drop in the bucket vs the coordinated efforts of these despicable and obnoxious Marxists attacking our children.
Why does it matter if the quote leaves out other categories or mentions things that aren’t related? Saying you support a specific marginalized group doesn’t create division or conflict.