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Most Americans oppose allowing men in women's sports, trans-ing kids: poll

studio-laska/iStock
studio-laska/iStock

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 over the weekend 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.” 

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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, the overwhelming majority of respondents (79%) believed they shouldn't be allowed to. A majority of respondents of all political persuasions 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%). Miniscule shares of Republicans (1%) and Democrats (3%) refused to answer the question, while a much larger percentage of independents (26%) declined to do so. 

When pressed for their thoughts about allowing doctors to prescribe puberty-blocking drugs or cross-sex hormones to youth, a majority of respondents (71%) agreed that minors shouldn't have access to drugs that will stop their natural growth and deform their bodies.

As was the case with views of trans-identified men competing in women’s sports, 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 was measured at 2% apiece among Republicans and independents, and 19% among Democrats. 

Opposition to allowing trans-identified male athletes to compete in women’s sports, as reflected in the poll, stems from concerns about fairness for female athletes. 

Efforts to ban trans-identified males from competing in women’s sports have been buoyed by stories of trans-identified male athletes shattering women’s sports records.

In light of these concerns, 27 states have implemented laws or regulations requiring trans-identified athletes to compete on sports teams that correspond with their sex rather than their self-declared gender identity: 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, opposition to the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to trans-identified youth is motivated by concerns about their 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.”

The medical organization has warned that 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: 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.

Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com

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