Republicans have made trans rights an absolute battle cry in an effort to fire up their voter base and stoke hatred against an already vulnerable population. Republicans have gotten so loud about trans issues, in fact, it can seem that the general population has big opinions. But do they actually? That’s where the latest data from the Pew Research Center comes in handy.
This data includes responses from more than 10,000 adults in the United States conducted from May 16 to May 22, 2022. Unfortunately, not all of the findings are encouraging when it comes to trans rights and equality, but that in itself is not surprising. We already knew we had work to do, so while this data isn’t all exciting, it is still valuable. Specifically, we can check out how Americans are feeling about protection from discrimination in housing, employment, and health care, as well as trans folks playing sports.
More than one-third of polled respondents feel that the nation has gone too far when it comes to accepting trans folks, while another third feels the nation needs to go further. About one-quarter say things are solid where they are. (Obviously, we have a lot more work to do.)
When it comes to trans folks playing sports, public opinion is unfortunately backward. Just under 60% of respondents believe trans folks should compete on teams that align with the sex they were assigned at birth instead of their gender identity. I have no doubt misinformation from conservatives contributes to that stance, though, baffling, an overwhelming number of respondents from all sides of the issue say science is the number one determinant of their view.
Sixty percent of respondents believe a person’s gender identity is determined by their sex assigned at birth.
In terms of gender markers and government identifications, more than 60% of respondents don’t want such documents (like passports) to offer a nonbinary or gender-neutral option like “X” in addition to “male” or “female.” Respondents who are above 50 years old and those who achieved a high school education or less are more likely to believe that “gender” and “sex” are the same.
More than half of respondents admit they have not been closely following proposed state legislation that would restrict the rights of trans folks.
Democrats are about four times more likely than Republicans to agree that one’s gender identity can differ from the sex assigned at birth. Twice as many Democrats acknowledge that trans folks face discrimination and more than 60% say they support policies that seek to protect trans folks from discrimination.
Forty-six percent of respondents want to bar health care professionals from giving trans youth safe, age-appropriate, and lifesaving gender-affirming health care. Just over 40% of respondents want to ban public elementary schools from teaching about gender identity. More than one-third of respondents want parents to be investigated on child abuse charges if they assist a person below 18 in accessing gender-affirming health care.
Almost half of the respondents agree it’s important to use a trans person’s correct name if it differs from their given name. About one-third of respondents agree it’s important to use the correct pronouns.
According to this data, white adults are more likely than Asian, Hispanic, and Black Americans to support policies that limit what schools can teach about gender identity. White adults are also more likely to support policies that limit the rights of trans folks. Among Democrats, white adults are less likely than other groups to support such laws.
What to do with all of these numbers? That’s a hard question to answer. Fundamentally, polling opinion should not dictate the rights of others. But it can be an eye-opening and instructive way to approach advocacy, education, and finding common ground and community with our peers.