“Morally Wrong”: Majority of Americans Are Against Transgender Athletes Participating in Sports, Poll Reveals

Cynthia PaulNov 30, 2023

Minute Read

According to a Gallup poll, about 70% of American people believe transgender athletes should only be permitted to play on teams that reflect the sexes they were assigned at birth.

Morally Wrong

According to a Gallup poll published this year, more Americans than ever before believe that gender change is “morally wrong” and are against transgender athletes participating in sports that reflect their gender identification.

“Changing One’s Gender” Considered “Morally Wrong”

Sixty-nine percent of respondents to a survey conducted by telephone with approximately one thousand adult Americans between May 1 and May 24, 2021, agreed that transgender athletes should only be permitted to play on teams that correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth. This is an increase from the previous year’s sixty-two percent. Additionally, it reveals that compared to 2021, when it was 51%, a somewhat larger percentage of Americans—55%—think that “changing one’s gender” is more “morally wrong.”

Unprecedented Number of Anti-LGBTQ Bills This Year

The American Civil Liberties Union reports that 491 anti-LGBTQ laws, most of which impact trans-Americans, have been submitted by conservative politicians in state legislatures nationwide, coinciding with Gallup’s results.

Attacks on Trans People Have Been Very Acute and Vicious

According to Alejandra Caraballo, a trans activist and clinical lecturer at the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard Law School, “the attacks on trans people have been very acute and vicious.” “It’s basically been the only thing that the far-right talks about so it’s not surprising that, in light of all of these concentrated attacks against trans people, that support has started to dip.”

22 States Enact Bills Restricting Trans Athletes From Competing

According to the LGBTQ think tank Movement Advancement Project, in the last few years, 22 states have passed legislation that would prevent trans athletes from playing on teams that reflect their gender identities, and 20 states have passed legislation that would limit access to healthcare related to transitions.

Discriminatory Measures Pose a Particular Risk to Trans Youths

The legislation’s proponents contend that trans athletes, particularly trans girls and women, unfairly have an edge over other athletes in sports and that it is important to shield young people from making transition-related decisions they may come to regret. The policies, according to critics, are discriminatory and put trans adolescents, who experience disproportionately high rates of suicide thoughts, at danger.

America’s Top Medical Associations Oppose Legislation

Legislation limiting transition-related treatment is opposed by the majority of the main medical associations in the country, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association.

“Hopeful” Things Will Turn Around in the Coming Years

The National Center for Transgender Equality’s Josie Caballero, director of special projects and the U.S. transgender survey, expressed optimism that things will improve in the upcoming years despite the fact that Gallup’s data indicated a brief spike in opposition to some transgender liberties.

Long-Term Sentiments on Same-Sex Marriage

She cited long-standing opinions on same-sex unions, which were similar to the ebb and flow of transgender rights in the early 2000s and the 2010s. Before the Supreme Court made marriage equality lawful nationally in 2015, there was intense discussion about it at the state and federal levels throughout that period.

Support for Same-Sex Marriage at an All-Time High

According to a second Gallup survey this month, support for same-sex marriage has risen virtually consistently since 2015, reaching an all-time high of 71% last year.

Majority of Americans Don’t Personally Know a Trans Person

According to Caballero, the reason why most Americans are against transgender identity and transgender athletes might be that most people do not directly know a transgender person.

How Many Americans Know a Trans Person Personally?

According to the current poll, just 39% of Americans believe they know someone who is transgender, down from 31% in 2021. Knowing a transgender person increases one’s likelihood that trans athletes should be allowed to play on a team that reflects their gender identity: 30% of respondents believe this, compared to 23% of non-transgender respondents.

Natural for People to Have Questions

“It’s natural for people to have questions when they’re learning something new,” according to Caballero. The new research, according to Caraballo and Caballero, indicates that future generations of legislators are more likely to support transgender persons.

Young Adults More Supportive Than Other Subgroups

Young adults are one of the only groupings whose support has increased since 2021, with 41% of them currently in favor compared to 35% in 2021, on the topic of trans inclusion in sports. They are also more supportive than other subgroups on this subject. Furthermore, 60% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 believe that altering one’s gender is ethically acceptable, compared to fewer than 33% of Americans over the age of 50.

The Most Accepting of All

When it comes to playing sports, Caballero remarked, “They’re the ones playing trans people.” “They’re the ones in college, in school, and they’re the most accepting of all.”