A strong majority of the country believes transgender Americans should enjoy the same personal freedoms as other Americans even if many respondents held a different personal understanding of gender and gender identity.
The findings from the new Daily Kos/Civiqs poll are both an affirmation of support for transgender individuals and their right to self determination free from government regulation. Additionally, nearly twice as many voters in the poll said parents of trans-identified kids should be allowed to make health care decisions they feel are right for their children as those who said the government should place limits on care.
Asked if everyone should have "the right to use the gender pronouns that match their personal identity," nearly six in ten voters (59%) agreed while just 32% disagreed.
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Another 74% of voters agreed that "Adults should always hold the ultimate authority over medical decisions for their own bodies.” Only 2% disagreed with that statement, while 23% said "it depends on the situation."
Those results were striking despite the fact that the very first question of survey found 55% of respondents believe gender is "fixed at birth" while just 36% said gender is "open to expression."
The disconnect between voters' responses to the first question versus many of the follow up questions suggests that while most voters have a fixed understanding of one's biology at birth, they still believe transgender individuals should have the freedom to live as they choose.
A 49% plurality of voters also said parents of children who identify as transgender should have the right to make the health care decisions they feel are best for their kids. Just 26% said government limits should be set on the types of treatments doctors can provide to transgender youth, while 10% said neither, and another 14% were unsure.
In fact, Republican voters are basically on an island in their belief that the government should regulate treatments for trans kids. Support for the freedom of parents to determine the best course of action for their transgender children is strong among multiple demographics, particularly those that Democrats need to win in battleground states and districts: independents, women, men, suburbanites, college graduates, and Black and Hispanic voters, among others.
Parental rights to access healthcare for transgender Children
|
total |
Independents |
women |
Men |
suburban |
White |
Black |
Hispanic |
| Care left to parents |
49% |
44% |
50% |
49% |
45% |
43% |
71% |
65% |
| Govt should set Limits |
26% |
28% |
24% |
29% |
27% |
31% |
10% |
17% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A 49% plurality also said physicians should be allowed to provide healthcare to transgender youth in a way that "recognizes and supports their gender identity." Democrats, women, Black, Hispanic, and urban voters strongly agreed with that statement. College graduates (49% — 41%) and suburban voters (47% — 39%) supported it by 8 points each.
SHOULD PHYSICIANS BE ABLE TO PROVIDE GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE TO TRANSGENDER YOUTH?
|
total |
dem |
women |
black |
hispanic |
college |
urban |
suburban |
| Yes |
49% |
83% |
54% |
76% |
63% |
49% |
61% |
47% |
| No |
39% |
11% |
35% |
21% |
29% |
41% |
32% |
39% |
Republican book bans and censorship of gay and transgender material are absolute nonstarters with voters, particularly in local public libraries but also in classrooms and school libraries.
Fully 74% of voters said public libraries in their area should be allowed to carry books that include information about gay and transgender people and history. Just 18% said they shouldn't.
In schools, a 48% plurality said classrooms and libraries should carry books with characters who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Another 8% said books including LGBT characters should be available, "but fewer than there are now." So while 39% of respondents said LGBT-related books should be banned entirely in local schools, a 56% majority believes the material should be available to students.
Once again, support for full access to LGBT-inclusive books in schools polled overwhelmingly well among Democrats, 82% Yes - 12% No, as well Black and Hispanic voters, voters under 35, and those with a college degree or more. Suburban voters also favored full access by 10 points.
Should school libraries/classrooms carry books with LGBT characters?
|
total |
black |
hispanic |
under 35 |
college |
suburban |
| yes |
48% |
68% |
60% |
52% |
52% |
48% |
| Yes, but fewer than now |
8% |
1% |
8% |
11% |
6% |
8% |
| no |
39% |
29% |
25% |
33% |
37% |
38% |
A question about whether public school teachers should be allowed to answer questions about gay and transgender issues drew a similar response, with a 50% majority of voters saying yes, 41% saying no, and 10% unsure. Black and Hispanic voters, voters under 35, college graduates and postgraduates, and suburban voters all signaled double-digit support for teachers answering students' questions on LGBT issues.
By and large, the poll signals that Republican attacks on transgender freedoms and their insistence on infringing on trans rights in healthcare and education settings has very limited appeal to voters beyond their core base.
Sweeping GOP attacks on transgender Americans' right to self determination and bodily autonomy also smack of a similar Republican assault on reproductive freedom, parental rights, access to healthcare, freedom of information (i.e. book bans, censorship), and indeed democracy itself.
Voters across many demographics are poised to find the harms caused by oppressive Republican governance both easily relatable and potentially unifying as they head to the ballot box in 2024.
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