For LGBTQ+ people, questions about identity are rarely shaped by pure curiosity. They are shaped by pressure: what is acceptable, what is safe, and what is allowed to be named out loud without consequence. A growing body of research suggests that psychedelic substances, when used in controlled and therapeutic settings, may help loosen those constraints, creating space for people to explore parts of themselves that have long been buried.
Recent reporting from the BBC highlights emerging evidence that psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine can prompt reflection around gender and sexual orientation. Therapists and researchers stress that these substances do not “turn” people queer or trans, but instead appear to lower psychological defenses, allowing individuals to engage honestly with questions they may have avoided or felt unable to articulate.
“Part of the beauty of psychedelics is that they loosen our fixed notions of ourselves in the world,” said Jae Sevelius, a licensed clinical psychologist and behavioral health researcher at Columbia University. “The fact that they can create space for new ways for people to think about themselves, including their gender or their sexuality, is not at all surprising.”
One example is Hunt Priest, a former Episcopal clergyman who participated in a psilocybin study at Johns Hopkins University in 2016. Priest did not experience an immediate shift in sexual orientation, but he did notice a gradual change in openness. “I don’t think psychedelics turned me gay,” Priest said. “What they did was make me receptive to new experiences.”
Researchers increasingly see that pattern reflected in broader data. A 2025 mixed-methods study published in The Journal of Sex Research surveyed 581 people with prior psychedelic experience. The study found that about one-quarter of women, one-eighth of men, and one-third of participants with other gender identities reported heightened attraction to genders they were not usually primarily drawn to. Roughly 10 percent said psychedelic experiences influenced how they understood their gender identity or expression.
“At first, I was surprised,” said Daniel Kruger, a social psychologist at the University at Buffalo and lead author of the study. “If you had asked me ahead of time, I would have said that sexual attraction is mostly fixed.” After closer analysis, he concluded that psychedelics were not rewriting identity but allowing people “to gain insights on themselves and possibly be more open to feelings they may not have previously considered socially acceptable.”
That openness can be affirming but also disorienting. Researchers emphasize that psychedelic experiences can surface fear, grief, or shame, particularly for people navigating identity in unsupportive environments. “These experiences can be very confusing and isolating,” Sevelius said, underscoring the importance of professional and affirming support during integration.
For the LGBTQ+ community, the significance of this research is not that psychedelics offer answers, but that they create space for questions. In a culture that often punishes deviation from rigid norms, the ability to question your identity – without judgment – can itself be transformative.