Over half of Americans oppose allowing transgender women and girls to compete in women and girls high school, collegiate, and professional sports, according to a recent national poll released by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland.
According to the poll, conducted between May 4 and 17 of this year, 55 percent of respondents indicated that transgender women and girls should not be allowed to compete in high schools sports consistent with their gender identity, with 28 percent believing transgender women and girls should be allowed to participate in high schools sports alongside other women and girls.
A further 58 percent of respondents believe that transgender women should not be allowed to compete in collegiate and professional sports consistent with their gender identity.
A comparably smaller proportion of respondents, 49 percent, said they believe transgender girls should not be allowed to participate in girls youth sports, with 33 percent indicating they believe transgender girls should be allowed into girls youth sports.
When asked if they were concerned that disallowing transgender girls from competing in youth sports with other girls would have an adverse effect on their mental health, 35 percent of individuals polled said they were somewhat concerned, with 25 percent indicating they were “not too” concerned, and 22 percent “not at all” concerned.
In April of last year, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a law banning transgender athletes in Alabama public school sports from being allowed to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity. The ban placed Alabama amongst a still growing contingent of states prohibiting transgender athletics in public school sports.
As of May of this year, 18 states have enacted similar bans on transgender athletes being able to participate in sports.
Also, in May, a federal judge blocked a recently passed bill that would make gender-affirming care for transgender youth a class C felony under Alabama state law. The bill is one example of several attempts by the state Legislature over the previous legislative session to restrict the rights of transgender individuals living in Alabama.
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, roughly 5 percent of American young adults under 30 indicated that they are transgender or nonbinary, compared to 1.6 percent of adults who identify as transgender or nonbinary.
