Republicans in at least 30 states have introduced introduced legislation criminalizing the lives of transgender children and at least five have already passed or sent those laws to their governors for signatures, but a large majority of Americans are opposed to such laws.
A new poll from NPR and PBS found that even among self-identified Republican voters, only about a third of them support laws that ban transgender participation in sports among other things.
Just 29% of Republicans said they "support a bill that prohibits transgender student athletes from joining sports teams that match their gender identity." Moreover, there was no significant party divide: Similar shares of Republicans, Democrats and independents also said they oppose the bills.
Altogether, 28% of adults said they support bills restricting transgender athletes' participation, compared with 67% who oppose such bills. [...]
In addition, the poll found strong opposition to the possibility of criminalizing the provision of gender transition-related medical care to minors, as a proposed law in Alabama would. Sixty-five percent of adults oppose that type of bill, compared with 28% who support it.
It's kind of a stretch to say this feels like good news to me personally, but it's something.
The caveat to this poll is it also found that 81 percent of self-identified Republicans are opposed to transgender participation in sports even if they don't support laws against it. That suggests they don't like us, but also don't believe the state should regulate our existence.
In my own experience, they also don't believe the state should ensure our inclusion, either. And that's pretty typical. Over the past year and a half, I have met no shortage of people who try to befriend me, tell me I'm inspiring, or even flirt with me before disclosing that they vote for Republicans. Needless to say I keep those people at arm's length if not further.
Public disapproval of these laws even among their own constituents isn't stopping Republican lawmakers because their constituents are going to vote for them anyway.
Liberal voters would turn against a candidate who tried something equally egregious, but conservative voters will not because upholding white supremacy is still more important to them than anything else. It's more important than even their own family members or friends who may be transgender or some other minority.