A recent survey reveals that nearly half of Americans believe the U.S. has overstepped in permitting male, trans-identified athletes to compete in women's sports, alongside substantial opposition to medical interventions for children facing gender dysphoria.
Conducted by The New York Times/Ipsos, the poll gathered responses from 2,128 American adults between January 2 and January 10.
When respondents were asked if they felt that “Society has gone too far in accommodating transgender people,” 49% responded positively. In contrast, 21% agreed with the statement that “Society has not gone far enough in accommodating transgender people,” while 28% thought that “Society has achieved a reasonable balance in accommodating transgender people.”
Seventy-seven percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning Americans believe that efforts to accommodate trans-identified individuals have gone too far, compared to 31% of independents and minor party affiliates. Thirty percent of independents and minor party affiliates feel that accommodations for the trans-identified community are adequate, along with 16% of Republicans.
A much smaller percentage of independents (14%) and Republicans (5%) believe that the U.S. should take additional steps to accommodate trans-identified individuals. A plurality of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Americans (39%) considered the current accommodations for trans-identified individuals to be appropriate, while 37% felt that more should be done and 23% believed such efforts have gone too far.
The survey also asked if trans-identified male athletes should compete in women's sports, with 79% responding negatively. This opposition was pronounced across political affiliations, where a staggering 94% of Republicans opposed the participation of trans-identified male athletes in women's sports, compared to 67% of Democrats and 64% of independents.
Less than a third of Democrats (31%) supported the idea of trans-identified male athletes competing on women's teams, with only 10% of independents and 5% of Republicans in favor.
When asked about physicians prescribing puberty-blocking drugs or cross-sex hormones to minors, 71% of respondents agreed that children should not have access to drugs that might halt their natural growth and alter their bodies. Among this group, the strongest opposition came from Republicans (90%), followed by independents (61%) and Democrats (54%).
Support for allowing youth aged 15 to 18 access to these treatments was minimal, with only 7% of Republicans, 10% of independents, and 24% of Democrats in favor. Similarly, support for providing these drugs to children as young as 10 was low, at 2% among Republicans and independents and 19% among Democrats.
Recent legislation in the U.S. has imposed restrictions on the participation of trans-identified athletes in sports and on access to medical treatments for youth suffering from gender dysphoria.
Twenty-seven states have enacted laws requiring trans-identified athletes to compete on teams that match their biological sex rather than their self-declared gender identity. These states include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Meanwhile, Twenty-four states have enacted regulations banning trans-identified youth from accessing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. This group includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
