- Most Americans know someone who is gay, lesbian, or bisexual, while only one in four know someone who is transgender; those who know a transgender person are most likely to report hearing about states passing or debating laws relating to transgender people.
- Americans trust Biden and the Democratic Party more than Republicans on gay and transgender issues – especially protecting the gay and transgender community and their rights and freedoms – as well as on looking out for children and caring for their well-being.
- The most effective response to attacks on the transgender community focuses on letting parents and doctors – rather than politicians and the government – make health care decisions for their children.
Majorities Know Someone Who Is Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual, But Just a Quarter Know Someone Who Identifies As Transgender
Majorities across party lines know a friend, family member, or co-worker who is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. While about one in three Democrats (32%) and independents (35%) report knowing a friend, family member, or co-worker who is transgender, only 13% of Republicans say they know someone who is.
Majorities Have Heard About Recent Laws Regarding Transgender People
Americans who have a friend, family member, or co-worker who identifies as transgender are most likely to report having heard “a lot” or “some” (71%) about states passing or debating laws regarding transgender people.
Biden and Democrats More Trusted on Protecting the Gay and Transgender Community, Looking Out for Children
Americans trust Biden and the Democratic Party much more than the Republican Party on “protecting the gay and transgender community” (net +40 Biden and Democrats overall) and “protecting the rights and freedoms of the gay and transgender community” (net +40), as Republican women trust Biden and Democrats more than their own party on both (net +2 for both).
Strongest Rebuttal to Anti-Transgender Messaging Focuses on Letting Parents/Doctors Make Decisions, Not Government
A message that “we should trust families and their doctors to make health care decisions for themselves and their children, and not allow politicians and the government to insert themselves into those decisions” is most effective against a message that “we need to protect kids from woke ideology and ban sex change hormones and gender reassignment surgery for kids” (net +12 agree).
Framing GOP Attacks On Transgender Americans Around Protecting Rights and Kids’ Well-Being Is Most Persuasive
Messaging that ties GOP attacks on transgender Americans to other unpopular positions such as “banning the right to abortion, limiting access to birth control” and “blocking common sense gun violence prevention reforms” is most concerning (47% very concerning).
About The Study
Global Strategy Group conducted public opinion surveys among a sample of 1,000 registered voters from May 4-May 8, 2023 and 1,001 registered voters from June 2-5, 2023. Each survey had approximately 100 additional interviews conducted among Hispanic voters, 75 additional interviews conducted among Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, 100 additional interviews conducted among African American voters, and 100 additional interviews conducted among independent voters. The survey was conducted online, recruiting respondents from an opt-in online panel vendor. Respondents were verified against a voter file and special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample matched that of the national registered voter population across a variety of demographic variables.
