A new poll has found that most Americans believe transgender athletes should not compete against athletes of the opposite sex. This is encouraging news, since it reveals a majority of Americans still hold the commonsense view that men should not be permitted to compete in women’s sports, and vice versa.
The new Axios/Momentive poll finds that 39% of Americans believe transgender athletes should compete against “athletes of the gender they were assigned at birth.”
As a side note, The Daily Citizen has previously pointed out that gender is not “assigned” at birth. Rather, doctors, nurses and parents recognize the biological sex of a newborn infant and write it down on a birth certificate.
Additionally, the Axios poll found that 14% of Americans think transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete at all. This, combined with the 39%, means 53% of Americans are against athletes competing in sports according to their gender identity.
Twenty percent of Americans favor transgender athletes competing against “athletes of the gender with which they identify” and 23% of Americans didn’t express an opinion one way or the other.
The poll also found that “Republicans are more likely to say that trans athletes should compete as the gender that they were assigned at birth (58%) or not be allowed to compete (23%).”
On the other hand, 35% of Democrats say transgender athletes should be allowed to compete against athletes of the gender with which they identify, while 25% say they should compete against “athletes of the gender they were assigned at birth.”
Though the issue of transgender individuals in sports is a relatively new issue, according to Axios, “This year’s Games will include at least 142 athletes who are publicly part of the LGBTQ community, which is ‘more than have participated at all other Summer Games combined.’”
Now, when examining poll results, it’s important to consider how pollsters phrase their questions, and how the wording may affect the findings.
A poll conducted by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist in April found that only 28% of adults would support a “bill that prohibits transgender student athletes from joining sports teams that match their gender identity.”
This seems to contradict the results from Axios/Momentive. However, the NPR poll appears to use harsher language like “prohibit,” and only asks about whether athletes should be allowed to join a sports team consistent with gender identity. Instead, the Axios poll examines whether transgender athletes should be allowed to “compete” against athletes from the opposite sex.
When these two factors are considered, it appears the American people become more concerned about transgender individuals involved in athletics when they compete against and potentially take opportunities and awards away from the opposite sex.
At Focus on the Family, we believe that God created two distinct and complementary sexes: male and female. This can be known through Scripture, but also through reason and basic biology.
At the same time, our hearts break for individuals who struggle with gender dysphoria. Everyone deserves to be loved and treated as a unique, irreplicable and invaluable person created in the image of God.
For help with issues related to transgenderism, check out our articles and resources linked below:
Poll Finds Majority of Americans Want Transgender Athletes to Play on Team of Birth Sex
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