Rent, rights, and the ballot box: What queer Gen Z wants from Washington

Young LGBTQ+ Americans are worried about paying rent and losing their rights. Isaac James wants politicians seeking their votes to take both fears seriously.

“You can’t just talk about one issue and expect that young queer and trans voters are going to vote for you,” the 26-year-old co-founder and executive director of OutVote told The Advocate.

New research from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law supports his argument. LGBTQ+ young adults reported overwhelming concerns about affordability, strong interest in nondiscrimination protections, and greater participation in several political activities than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. For James, the findings challenge assumptions about an apathetic generation while offering a practical route to mobilizing it.

The report, “LGBT Gen Z Adults and the 2026 Midterm Elections,” found that 92.8 percent of LGBTQ+ respondents considered housing costs an urgent crisis or serious issue. Similar shares identified rising prices and access to affordable healthcare.

Related: LGBTQ+ young people are politically engaged — but it's complicated

Meanwhile, 84.6 percent assigned that urgency to passing nondiscrimination protections, and 69.9 percent did so for laws restricting gender-affirming medical care for minors.

James said politicians should understand those priorities together.

“To us, it shows us that politicians, organizations, anyone who wants to reach young queer and trans voters needs to align with the values that these LGBTQ voters have,” he said. “That’s more important than any other quality.”

Among LGBTQ+ respondents, 76.2 percent selected shared values as one of their top three candidate qualities, compared with 16.7 percent who selected a shared demographic background.

Nearly 50 million Gen Z Americans will be eligible to vote in November, according to the report. The Williams Institute estimates that 16.6 percent of Gen Z adults — roughly one in six — identify as LGBTQ+, compared with 6.9 percent of U.S. adults overall. Among LGBTQ+ respondents, nearly 71 percent favored a Democratic congressional candidate.

Asked about Democrats considering a retreat from transgender rights, James urged politicians to listen to young queer and trans voters’ priorities.

A Rhodes scholar and former White House and Texas legislative staffer, James described coming out as gay after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage equality ruling. He sees his generation confronting fears that established rights could disappear alongside the difficulty of affording groceries or imagining homeownership.

Related: Less GOP and more LGBT — Gen Z is more likely to be queer than Republican, survey reveals

OutVote, which educates and mobilizes LGBTQ+ young people, is working to turn those concerns into ballots. The report found evidence of engagement already underway, with nearly 70 percent of LGBTQ+ respondents having encouraged others to vote.

But interest still has to become turnout. Nearly three-quarters of respondents overall said they would definitely or probably vote.

James sees community as crucial to closing that distance. He described karaoke nights that incorporate voter-registration conversations and picnics where friends can discuss elections. OutVote’s fellowship and organizing programs aim to make civic participation a lasting habit.

James believes Washington underestimates his peers’ attention to politics.

“We’re watching,” he said. “We are paying attention.”