Growing up visible: Gen Z’s new maps of sexual identity development

As political debates and media controversies continue to circle questions of identity, our new research shows young people are busy redrawing the map of sexual identity development itself – regardless of what adults are debating.

Generation Z (1997-2012) are coming of age in a paradox. They live in a more accepting era than older generations, with LGBTQ+ representation visible in media, culture and schools, yet they still report heightened rates of mental health challenges. 

This contradiction reflects a wider global context. In some countries LGBTQ+ rights are advancing, while in others they’re being rolled back. Even in progressive democracies, populist politics often casts gender and sexual diversity as a threat, with schools and young people placed on the front line of these debates. 

In Australia, recent battles regarding programs such as Safe Schools reveal how inclusion can be framed as “dangerous ideology”, leaving many students without consistent support 

While debates about gender and sexuality continue in parliaments, schools, and the media, Gen Z are already living these experiences. 

Identity development isn’t waiting for consensus, and young people are moving through these experiences in real time, regardless of how contested they remain in some sections of the community.

Sexual identity milestones

Our new study published in Psychological Science asks a simple question: When, and in what order, do today’s young people reach key sexual identity milestones? 

These milestones represent key developmental events throughout one’s identity development. 

We surveyed 490 LGBTQ+ Australians aged 16 to 26 and measured which milestones had been experienced and the ages these events occurred. The milestones included first attraction, self-identity, sexual activity, relationships, and identity disclosure. 

To better-understand sources of mental health impacts for LGBTQ+ young people, we also looked at how the timing of milestones may relate to stress experiences – things such as  worrying about being rejected based on identity, internalising negative social views, difficulty managing emotions, and self-acceptance of one’s identity. 

Three factors set this study apart. 

First, we counted “not yet” as meaningful – some milestones may never happen, or may never need to, and this matters just as much. 

Second, instead of one fixed timeline, we grouped people by shared patterns in their experiences.

 Third, we linked the periods milestones were experienced into stress outcomes.

Four paths through adolescence and beyond

Overall, four common patterns of milestone experiences were found. 

Each of these patterns occupied a certain period of development, from early adolescence, middle adolescence, late adolescence, and then finally adulthood. 

Each of these periods was defined by an approximate order in which milestones could be experienced, and the average ages these were experienced. 

Importantly, because our sample was Gen Z, young people were spread across all of these types of experiences. Some had already reached every milestone at a young age, others had only experienced a few milestones, and some had experienced milestones later at older ages than their peers.

For early, middle and late adolescence, milestone experiences followed an identity-centred pattern where they were able to name or feel their identity before sexual activity (for example, attraction, then self-identity, followed by first disclosure, a queer relationship, and lastly sexual activity). 

For the adulthood experience, self-identifying often followed sexual activity. 

These experiences cut across sexual, gender and racial subgroups, rather than mapping neatly onto any one of them – emphasising how unique and individualised these pathways can be.

Read more: How video games can unlock euphoria for transgender players

Timing also mattered, and this marked a generational shift. 

Most milestones are being reached earlier than in older cohorts, including first attraction, self-identity and disclosure. Because, for most, self-identity came before sexual activity, this marks a shift away from sex-centred models. 

The gap between first and last milestones is shorter in Gen Z, showing faster progression through their identity development. 

Earlier patterns of milestone achievement were associated with higher rejection sensitivity and emotion dysregulation, while older ones were not. 

Despite this, the middle-adolescence profile was associated with higher self-acceptance, suggesting that earlier pathways are not uniformly negative.

What this means for schools, families, and policy

Exploring self-identity and disclosure (coming out) often happens in high school, where LGBTQ+ resources are often limited, and where support varies for each young person. 

Our findings imply that the timing of sexual identity milestones carries both vulnerabilities and opportunities – very early achievement may heighten stress exposure, but can also foster resilience when adequate support is available.

Schools are critical here. School climate (the mix of academic atmosphere, relationships and a sense of safety) has a direct effect on mental health. Positive climates improve outcomes for LGBTQ+ young people, while negative climates increase distress. 

The evidence shows that affirming policies, supportive teachers and inclusive programs can buffer against stress. 

But in Australia, school responses remain uneven. State policies vary, political controversies shut down meaningful conversations, and Section 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act still allows religious schools to lawfully exclude LGBTQ+ staff and students. 

This creates a “culture of limitation” where gender and sexuality are treated as too controversial to address, leaving students vulnerable). 

Read more: Queer youth deserve safer schools and better health support

Improving health outcomes for LGBTQ+ young people who experience milestones early involves normalising how diverse developmental experiences can be, and reducing isolation through providing access to shared narratives and experiences by other queer people navigating their identities. 

This supports policy initiatives that maintain increased representation of sexual identity development experiences in media and education.

Generation Z is rewriting the map of sexual identity development. The map is not linear. It has pauses, loops and paths that skip landmarks entirely. 

If practices and policy reflect these real pathways, we can reduce stress where it accumulates, and strengthen acceptance and belonging where it starts.