ONE in 20 people in Northumberland aged under 35 years old identify with an LGB+ sexual orientation, new census figures show.

Stonewall said the latest census breakdown shows with each generation, more people feel safer to come out as LGB+.

Census data shows 1,535 people aged between 16 and 24 years old in Northumberland said they identified with a minority sexuality in 2021, alongside 1,735 aged 25 to 34.

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About 5.5 per cent of those under 35 in Northumberland said they identified with an LGB+ sexuality.

Data shows females in Northumberland were more likely to identify with a minority sexuality – with 3,475 saying they were not straight compared to 2,555 males.

The census asked people, for the first time, about their gender identity. In Northumberland, 730 (0.3 per cent) people said they did not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth.

The category LGB+ covers people identifying as any other sexual orientation apart from heterosexual.