Survey Shows Diverse Viewpoints on Transgender, Gender Identity Issues in US

As the United States continues to address inequalities and issues related to transgender rights, the American public reflects their own multiplex of views and opinions. To better understand Americans’ views on gender identity, the Pew Research Center surveyed 10,000 adults in May of this year, at the height of more than 200 anti-LGBTQ bills filed nationwide.

Currently, there are 18 states, including Texas, Missouri, and Arizona, that have introduced or passed bans on transgender youth participation in sports. Despite this, when the participants were asked how closely they have been following news about bills related to trans people, most said not at all. Additionally, a rising share, 60% of those surveyed (85% of republicans, 37% of democrats) strongly favor requiring that transgender athletes compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, rather than the one that corresponds with their gender identity.

“The fundamental belief about whether gender can differ from sex assigned at birth is closely aligned with opinions on transgender issues.” Pew Research states. “Americans who say a person’s gender can be different from their sex at birth are more likely than others to see discrimination against trans people and a lack of societal acceptance.”

While the survey reveals that the general public strongly favors protecting transgender individuals from discrimination, only 48% of republicans support anti-discrimination laws, compared to 80% of democrats that support protecting transgender people in employment, housing, and public spaces. At the same time, 67% of republicans believe in forcing transgender individuals to use the bathroom that corresponds with their assigned sex at birth, sizably compared to 20% of democrats.

The bulk of parents of children in an elementary school would say it is a good thing that their child has not learned about trans people or those who live gender-expansive lives. Similarly, the majority of people strongly favor making it illegal for public school districts to teach about gender identity in elementary schools.

One of the issues covered in the survey was the legality of healthcare professionals providing gender-affirming care to minors. Forty-six percent strongly favor making it illegal for healthcare professionals to provide medical care concerning a gender transition for someone younger than 18, compared to 31% in opposition.

“Nearly half of U.S. adults (47%) say it’s extremely or very important to use a person’s new name if they transition to a gender that is different from the sex they were assigned at birth and change their name,” the survey states. “A majority of democrats (64%)—compared with 28% of republicans—say it’s at least very important to use someone’s new name if they go through a gender transition and change their name. And while 51% of democrats say it’s extremely or very important to use someone’s new pronouns, just 14% of republicans say the same.”

Amid an ever-growing and widespread conversation over transgender rights and equality, having honest feedback and data to better understand the diversity of viewpoints and opinions of the public has proven to be uniquely insightful and can help us address possible misconceptions and miscommunications, and inequalities of the transgender community.

Though, some of these figures, representing the opinions of the general public and our fellow peers, are a bit alarming in reference to the safety and acceptance of the transgender community as a whole in the U.S.. While the data surely sheds a light on this divide and where we can move from here, the LGBTQ community and its allies must continue the fight full-force toward trans equity.