Students Identifying as Trans, Non-Binary Surges Across University of California System

Data shows that the number of undergraduate students across University of California (UC) campuses tripled.

According to The San Francisco Chronicle, 0.6% of students identified as gender non-conforming, non-binary, or transgender in 2019.

As of 2023, 1.9% of students across the UC system identified as gender non-conforming, non-binary, or transgender.

According to Fox News, UC Santa Cruz had the largest population of non-binary and transgender undergraduate students, with 4% and 1.1%, respectively.

UC Berkeley’s director of LGBTQ advancement and equity Em Huang told the outlet, “Over time I’ve definitely felt that shift, and I think that’s more representation of nonbinary staff members on campus, and more awareness. We’re in a stage of folks recognizing that nonbinary folks exist, and we’re getting from there to understanding.”

Brown University also saw an increase in LGBT students.

The university’s student newspaper reported that 38% of students attending the university “do not identify as straight.”

The numbers are compared to findings from the Fall of 2010, when 14% of poll respondents said they were not straight.

“Since Fall 2010, Brown’s LGBTQ+ population has expanded considerably. The gay or lesbian population has increased by 26% and the percentage of students identifying as bisexual has increased by 232%,” the newspaper wrote.

The surge of non-binary and LGBT students may be attributed to “rapid-onset gender dysphoria,” according to Lisa Littman, from Brown University School of Public Health.

“The onset of gender dysphoria seemed to occur in the context of belonging to a peer group where one, multiple, or even all of the friends have become gender dysphoric and transgender-identified during the same timeframe,” Littman’s paper stated.