A Fast Change: Some Dimensions of Homosexuality among Young Italian Men and Women. 2000-2023

Asher Colombo, University of Bologna
Gianpiero Dalla-Zuanna, University of Padova
Maria Castiglioni, University of Padova

The acceptance of homosexuality and diffusion of homosexual behaviours are important changes of the intimacy revolution. A 2023 survey on a representative sample of 2,600 Italian students aged around 20, comparable with similar researches on young people carried out in Italy in 2000, 2006, 2017, shows a surprising acceleration in both homosexual acceptance and non-heterosexual identities, with notable gender differences. Always distinguishing between men and women at birth, we illustrate intensity of changes, showing also some differential analyses. In the final part – starting from these results – will we highlight some possible interpretations of the trends detected, also thinking about possible future developments. 4% of young people (without gender differences) say they do not identify with the sex assigned at birth. Furthermore, the proportion of young people not declaring themselves as heterosexual, between 2000 and 2023 grows from 3% to 12% among males at birth, from 2% to 24% among females at birth. While the proportion of homosexuals varies little, bisexual people and those who do not identify with these definitions increase strongly. Finally, people who declare that they accept male and female homosexuality – who were a minority in 2000 – clearly prevail in 2023, especially among women.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

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