It seems like the tide is finally turning in the US on the transgender issue. A new survey reveals that about half of Americans believe the U.S. has gone too far in allowing male, trans-identified athletes to compete in women’s sports, and an overwhelming number of Americans oppose mutilating the bodies of children suffering from gender dysphoria.
The New York Times/ Ipsos released a poll based on responses collected from 2,128 American adults between Jan. 2-10. The 25- page survey, which sampled respondents’ views on a wide variety of topics, had a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points.
When asked if they agreed that “Society has gone too far in accommodating transgender people,” 49% answered in the affirmative. Twenty-one percent agreed with a statement declaring that “Society has not gone far enough in accommodating transgender people,” while 28% believed that “Society has reached a reasonable balance when it comes to accommodating transgender people.”
The overwhelming majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning Americans (77%) and a plurality of independents and those who identify with a minor political party (31%) agreed that efforts to accommodate the trans-identified population have gone too far. Thirty percent of independents and members of minor political parties think the trans-identified community receives an adequate amount of accommodation, along with 16% of Republicans.
Significantly smaller shares of independents (14%) and Republicans (5%) believe that the U.S. needs to do more to accommodate trans-identified people. By contrast, a plurality of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Americans (39%) think that society has achieved an appropriate balance when it comes to accommodating trans-identified individuals, followed by 37% who think the U.S. hasn’t gone far enough to accommodate them and 23% who believe that such efforts have gone too far.
When asked if trans-identified male athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports, most respondents (79%) believed they shouldn’t be allowed to. Many respondents opposed allowing trans-identified male athletes in women’s sports, with opposition much stronger among Republicans (94%) than Democrats (67%) and independents (64%). Less than one-third of Democrats (31%) thought that trans-identified male athletes should be allowed to compete on women’s sports teams, along with even smaller shares of independents (10%) and Republicans (5%).
A majority of respondents (71%) agreed that minors shouldn’t have access to drugs that will stop their natural growth and deform their bodies. Opposition to allowing the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children with gender dysphoria was strongest among Republicans (90%) and less pronounced among independents (61%) and Democrats (54%). Seven percent of Republicans, along with 10% of independents and 24% of Democrats, supported allowing youth between the ages of 15 and 18 to obtain puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, while support for allowing children as young as 10 to be prescribed these drugs measured at 2% apiece with Republicans and independents, and 19% among Democrats.
Citing concerns about fairness for female athletes, 27 states have implemented laws or regulations requiring athletes to compete on sports teams that correspond with their sex rather than self-declared gender identity.
Opposition to prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to youth is motivated by concerns about long-term impacts. The American College of Pediatricians has listed potential side effects of puberty blockers as “osteoporosis, mood disorders, seizures, cognitive impairment and, when combined with cross-sex hormones, sterility.” They have also warned cross-sex hormones can cause “an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, blood clots and cancers across their lifespan.” Twenty-four states have implemented measures banning trans-identified youth from obtaining puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
PRAY: Pray this positive shift away from the madness will continue and that people will again recognize God’s design of two genders, male and female.