More people believe identifying as transgender is ‘morally wrong’: Poll
Breccan F. Thies
An increasing number of people in the United States think that identifying as transgender is “morally wrong,” according to a new survey.
According to a Gallup poll, 55% believe “changing one’s gender” is immoral, which is an increase from 51% in 2021.
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At the same time, the share of respondents who say changing genders was “morally acceptable” shrank by 3 percentage points to 43% in the same time frame.
“Immoral acts are immoral because of the negative effects they have on ourselves and others,” Terry Schilling, the president of the American Principles Project, told the Washington Examiner. “The trans movement is built on a radical self-obsessive narcissism, and Americans aren’t just seeing that more, they are experiencing it more.”
Since 2021, the country has been exposed to a wave of news reports on hospitals providing cross-sex hormones and gender transition surgeries to children, teachers and schools secretly transitioning children without the knowledge or consent of parents, messaging from the Biden administration that bans on gender transitions are “close to sinful,” and transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
In March, Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine (a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman) signaled whole-of-government support for transgender procedures for minors, telling pediatricians: “I can say that you, the children that you serve, the young people that you serve, their families, and you all have support at the highest levels of the federal government.”
Levine has also said the procedures for minors are “medically necessary, safe, and effective.”
“The Left just assumes that the country will always drift their way on social issues,” CatholicVote’s Director of Programming Joshua Mercer told the Washington Examiner. “But the changes in the Gallup Poll over the last two years show that the American people have actually moved significantly to the right on transgender issues.”
One of the most compelling phenomenons, Schilling said, is people who have spoken out against their own gender transitions, saying they were coerced with very little medical oversight into something irreversible.
“As Americans begin to hear the stories of ‘detransitioners’ — the people who regret their sex change procedures — they will increasingly view trans identification as morally wrong,” he said.
The share of Republicans and independents who believe transitioning is “morally wrong” increased from 76% to 84% and 48% to 50%, respectively, since 2021. However, more Democrats believe it is “morally acceptable,” increasing from 67% to 70% since 2021.
Those who personally know people who identify as transgender are more likely to find it morally acceptable, but nevertheless, the numbers fell from 60% to 56% since 2021. Acceptability among those who do not know a transgender person shrank from 40% to 33%.
There has been a dramatic increase in younger people identifying as transgender. While transgender activists say some of the explanation could be due to the broader societal acceptability around transgender issues, those who are more skeptical of the rise believe it is artificial and look to public messaging, popularity trends, and social media influence for the explanation.
Countries such as France have viewed the dramatic increase in identification as “epidemic-like,” with its National Academy of Medicine writing that the issue is “primarily social” and can be rooted in “excessive consultation of social networks, greater social acceptability, or example in the [group].”
Aligned with the trend on transgender identification among younger generations, Gallup found younger people were more likely to say that changing genders was morally acceptable.
Among 18-29-year-olds, 60% found it morally acceptable to identify as transgender, whereas 48% of 30-49-year-olds thought the same. Only 32% over the age of 50 agreed.
Gallup notes that while older people’s views on the moral acceptability of changing genders shrank from 39% in 2021, the other age demographics have remained about the same.
The general decrease in acceptability comes as transgender athletes competing in women’s sports has put the spotlight on the biological differences between the sexes.
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Gallup’s poll also shows the country souring on the idea of transgender people participating in women’s sports. While 62% already believed this was unfair in 2021, 69% now agree it is wrong. Those who believe transgender athletes should be able to play on a team that matches their professed gender also shrank by 8 points, from 34% in 2021 to 26% in 2023.
“The American people understand that it’s a biological fact that girls’ and boys’ bodies are built differently,” Mercer said. “When looking at sports, this reality becomes undeniable. We’re thankful for courageous athletes like Riley Gaines who have spoken out about this. They’ve done so much to change public opinion.”