A recent Gallup poll finds that a majority of nearly 70 percent of respondents oppose allowing men who claim to be transgender women to play women’s sports, and 55 percent say changing one’s gender is “morally wrong.”
The poll released on Monday seems to show that the radical transgender movement is not achieving its desired goal of normalizing transgenderism. Indeed, it seems to be backfiring.
Two findings, in particular, seem to show that many are pulling away from trans acceptance. A previous poll from 2021 found that 51 percent felt changing one’s gender is “morally wrong,” but this year’s survey found that result up four percent, with 55 percent saying they opposed the whole idea of changing one’s gender.
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas walks after receiving her medal for winning the 200-yard freestyle during the 2022 Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Blodgett Pool on February 18, 2022, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
But trans athletes found an even worse result. In 2021 62 percent opposed allowing male-born athletes to play sports as females. Today, that number is up to 69 percent who said that people should only be allowed to compete in categories corresponding to their birth gender.
Those who support trans athletes have also dwindled. Gallup’s past poll found that 34 percent said athletes should be allowed to choose whatever category fits their “gender identity.” The new poll found that number had fallen to only 26 percent.
These results were learned in Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, conducted on 1,000 U.S. adults from May 1-24.
“The issue has sparked debate at all levels of competitive sports, particularly around transgender women’s ability to play on women’s teams. Sports governing bodies and schools have adopted a range of policies on the issue, some more inclusive of transgender participation than others,” Gallup wrote in its report on the poll.
Gallup also found that even people who say they personally know a person who claims to be transgender have lost support for trans athletes.
Transgender former rugby player Caroline Layt poses for pictures with a rugby ball in his backyard in Sydney on June 22, 2022. (SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“But both Americans who know and do not know a transgender individual have become less supportive of allowing transgender athletes to play on the team of their choice,” Gallup wrote. “Currently, 30% of those who know a transgender person favor allowing athletes to play on teams that match their current gender identity, down from 40% in 2021. Among those who do not know a transgender person, support is now 23%, down from 31%.”
While Democrats are the most supportive of trans athletes, support for the idea has even fallen among the left-wing sector. In 2021, 55 percent of self-identified Democrats said they supported transgender athletes. Today that has fallen to only 4 7 percent who support the idea.
Gallup concluded, writing, “Laws that restrict participation for transgender athletes are generally in line with U.S. public opinion on the issue. People who know a transgender individual continue to be more accepting of pro-transgender policies than those who do not, but the relationship has weakened in the past two years. As a result, Americans have become less favorable to transgender athlete participation in single-gender sports than they were in 2021, even as more people say they know a transgender person.”
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