|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
In a country where division is the norm rather than the exception, a steady 51 percent of Americans continue to believe that changing one’s gender is morally wrong, according to Gallup’s latest poll. This figure stands in contrast to the 44 percent who find it morally acceptable, mirroring trends seen in 2021 and 2023. However, despite this moral split, over six in ten U.S. adults stand against laws that ban gender-affirming care for minors—a testament to the complexity of public opinion on this hot-button issue.
In a recent decision, the U.S. District Court in Florida struck down the state’s prohibition on medical treatments for transgender minors, calling it unconstitutional. However, this ruling starkly contrasts with a decision by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in similar suit in Alabama, which upheld the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act that outlaws transgender treatment for minors. Both rulings are typical of court challenges throughout the nation.
The moral landscape around gender change is deeply fragmented along demographic lines. Political liberals (81 percent), Democrats (72 percent), the religiously unaffiliated (67 percent), infrequent religious service attendees (59 percent), young adults aged 18 to 29 (56 percent), and college graduates (53 percent) predominantly find gender change morally acceptable. On the flip side, fewer than half of their more conservative, religious, older, and less-educated counterparts share this view.
Women, though still divided, are notably more likely than men to deem gender change morally acceptable (48 percent versus 39 percent). These subgroup readings, pulled from Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs poll conducted between May 1-23, show little to no change from previous years’ data.
Despite the moral contention surrounding gender change, a significant majority of Americans oppose legislative bans on gender-affirming care for minors. These treatments, ranging from psychological counseling to puberty blockers and hormone therapies, have become battlegrounds in state legislatures across the country. To date, 25 states have enacted laws or policies restricting minors’ access to such care, with many of these laws currently under legal challenge.
Gallup’s survey explored public opinion on these bans through two different questions. One asked generally about bans on “treatments and medical procedures,” while the other specified treatments like “psychological support, hormonal treatments, and medical surgeries” to help minors align with their gender identity. Both versions produced similar results: about one-third of U.S. adults support such bans, while just over six in ten oppose them.
Republicans, predictably, are more inclined than Democrats and independents to support these bans. On the specific question about banning psychological support and medical treatments, a majority of Republicans (53 percent) favor a ban, compared to far fewer Democrats (25 percent) and independents (34 percent). When the question is framed more generally, Republican support drops to 45 percent, while Democratic and independent opposition remains consistent.
Gallup’s data also reveals that a mere 0.9 percent of U.S. adults identified as transgender in 2023, with the highest proportion (2.8 percent) among Generation Z. The moral divide on gender change persists, yet a majority oppose laws that restrict gender-affirming care for minors, highlighting a nuanced public stance. This discrepancy could stem from the specific mention of minors in the context of care bans, while the moral question on gender change does not specify age. Additionally, Americans’ general aversion to bans, as seen in trends concerning smoking and handguns, may influence their views.
In states with Republican-majority legislatures, laws targeting gender-affirming care have been enacted with notable Republican backing. However, grassroots Republican support for these measures is far from overwhelming, suggesting a potential gap between legislative actions and constituent preferences.
