The debate over transgender athletes has become the focus of America's culture wars, but as progressives push for wider inclusion, a new poll shows that Democratic voters are becoming less supportive of gender identity in sports.
A Gallup poll released on Monday found that the number of Democrats who say transgender athletes should be allowed to play on sports teams that match their gender identity fell from 55 percent in 2021 to 47 percent this year. At the same time, the number of Democrats who say transgender athletes should only participate on teams that match their birth gender has gone up from 41 to 48 percent in the same time period.
The discussion surrounding LGBTQ+ inclusivity in sports has ramped up in the last couple of years and is part of the wider national conversation about transgender women and female spaces.
Last year, trans swimmer Lia Thomas sparked heated debate over her participation on the University of Pennsylvania's women's swim team. She went on to become the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport.
Essential sports reported that when Thomas was swimming for the men's team, Thomas was "ranked 554th in the 200-yd freestyle, and she is now fifth in the event this year.
"Furthermore, in the 500-yd freestyle, Thomas was 65th in the country. Now, she ranked first place in the event this year. Finally, in the 1650 freestyle, she is now eighth in the nation, as opposed to 32nd in the men's division."
Since her victory, Republican-led states have sought to enact transgender athlete bans and big-name brands that have partnered with transgender influencers, like Bud Light, have become the target of controversial boycotts.
As conservatives seek to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in sports, the White House and Democratic officials have vowed to push back on state bans and vowed to make the country safer for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The shift in opinion among Democratic voters is part of a national trend that shows a growing number of Americans who say transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams for their birth gender. Likewise, support for transgender athletes playing on teams that match their gender identity has fallen 8 percent over the last two years.
"It appears that Americans view transgender sports participation more through a lens of competitive fairness than transgender civil rights," Gallup's Jeff Jones wrote in a blog post.
He continued, "Even Democrats, who mostly support LGBTQ+ rights and affirm the morality of gender change, are divided on the issue of whether transgender athletes should be allowed to participate on teams that match their gender identity rather than birth gender."
The one demographic that saw a positive change toward support for transgender Americans was 18- to 29-year-olds. Sixty percent of younger adults said changing one's gender was morally acceptable, compared to 32 percent of Americans aged 50 and older who agreed with the statement.
Jones noted that because younger Americans are more supportive of transgender sports participation, "opinions may eventually shift toward more accepting views."
However, the same poll also found that social conservatism is on the rise among most groups in the country, including those aged 18 to 29. Thirty percent of that group described themselves as conservative on social issues, compared to 26 percent who said the same in 2022 and 24 percent in 2021.
Gallup's annual Values and Belief survey was conducted between May 1 to 24 with a random sample of 1,101 adults. The poll has a 4-point margin of error.
Newsweek reached out to Gallup for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
