Americans identifying as LGBTQ+Objects launched into Earth orbit per year
American LGBTQ self-identification climbing as orbital launches climb. One graph is about people being more visible to themselves. The other is about more objects being visible from radar. Different categories of becoming public.
Americans identifying as LGBTQ doubled across this window, driven mostly by Gen Z's willingness to use the labels in surveys; older cohorts changed less. Orbital launches grew from about 90 in 2015 to over 220 by 2023 as SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 cadence and the Starlink constellation buildout drove launch rates to historic levels. Two completely independent stories of accelerated visibility — demographic and aerospace — sharing a window because the same eight years were a particularly fast period for both kinds of expansion. Different orbits.
Two visibilities expanded in parallel. The decade was good to anyone who wanted to be on the map.
As an Amazon Associate, getspurious.com earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
Want to learn more about why correlations like “Americans identifying as LGBTQ+” vs “Objects launched into Earth orbit per year” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
