Americans are more likely to support protecting biological women’s sports from transgender competition than they were in 2021, according to a Gallup study published June 12.
In a May 2021 Gallup poll, 34% of participants said they would support a transgender-identifying individual playing on a team that matches their “gender identity.” In a May 2023 poll, that number fell to 26%. In the 2021 study, 62% said transgender-identifying athletes should play on teams that match their biological sex, while 69% said the same in 2023.
Americans also reported knowing someone who is transgender at a higher rate: 31% said they knew a transgender person in 2021, while 39% said they do in 2023. Even among those who say they know a transgender person, support for these individuals playing on teams that match their gender identity decreased from 40% to 30%, the study found. (RELATED: England’s Healthcare System Officially Bans Puberty Blockers For Minors As Biden Continues To Tout Them)
The Gallup poll was conducted via telephone interviews of 1,011 adults from May 1-24, 2023. The sampling error was plus or minor four percentage points, and surveyed individuals from all 50 states.
Among Democrats, support for transgender-identifying athletes playing on teams that match their gender identity decreased from 55% to 47% in two years.
GALLUP POLL:
— 69% of Americans say transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that match their birth gender, including plularity of Democrats (+7 from 2021)
— 55% Say Changing One’s Gender Is Morally Wrong (+4 from 2021)https://t.co/HWnUjR3oIC pic.twitter.com/sOoeCSfPOP
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) June 12, 2023
A March 2023 poll by Summit.org and McLaughlin and Associates found that about 60% of American voters believe biological men competing against women has a harmful impact. A June 2022 Washington Post poll found a majority of Americans oppose allowing biological males who identify as women competing in women’s sports.
Female athletes are speaking out and athletic organizations are taking action as biological men sweep female sports competitions across the country. Sixteen women on the University of Pennsylvania swim team said their teammate, Lia Thomas, who is a man identifying as a transgender woman, should not be allowed to compete on the women’s team. Thomas, who ranked #462 nationally in men’s swim, has broken several records competing against women. Other female teammates have complained they have been forced to share a locker room with Thomas.
World Athletics voted in March to ban biological males who have been through male puberty from competing as transgender women in athletic competitions. In April, the House passed a ban on male athletes competing in school sports in the female category. That same month, the Biden administration released proposed guidance curbing “categorical” bans on male participation in female sports in K-12 schools.