A new poll released Monday showed that a majority of Americans believe transgender athletes should play against those with the same biological gender as opposed to the one they identify as.
Gallup conducted the poll from May 1-24 and it showed a change from a similar poll they conducted in 2021.
According to Gallup, 69% of Americans believe transgender athletes should be able to play on sports teams that match their biological gender while 26% of Americans believe transgender athletes should play on teams that correspond with the gender they identify as.
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University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas prepares to swim the women’s 500-yard freestyle final at the NCAA swimming and diving championships. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
In 2021, the poll revealed that 62% of Americans believe transgender athletes should be able to play on sports teams that match their biological gender while 34% believed transgender athletes should play on teams that correspond with the gender they identify as.
Additionally, Gallup released data based on party affiliation from those who answered. About 93% of Republicans, 48% of Democrats and 67% independents believed transgender athletes should only play on sports teams that match their biological gender. Those numbers were up seven points for Republicans and Democrats and four points for independents.
Those who know a transgender person appeared to become less supportive of allowing a transgender athlete to play on a team of the gender they identify as. About 64% of those who know a transgender person believe they should play on a team that matches their biological gender. About 72% of those who don’t know a transgender person also agreed with the statement. Both numbers are up from 2021.
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, center, smiles after winning the 100 yard freestyle during the Ivy League Womens Swimming and Diving Championships on Feb. 19, 2022, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
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Transgender participation in sports has become a flashpoint in the sports world and in the political arena as well.
In April, the Biden administration proposed new Title IX regulations on transgender people in schools. Under the department’s proposed rule, no school or college that receives federal funding would be allowed to impose a “one-size-fits-all” policy that categorically bans transgender students from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Such policies would be considered a violation of Title IX.
Meanwhile, the “Save Women’s Sports” bill passed in the House with zero votes from Democrats. Republicans defended the bill as an attempt to spare women and girls from having to compete against transgender women and girls – biological males who can sometimes dominate these sports and prevent some female athletes from making the team. But several Democrats argued in debate that the GOP bill is an extension of the bullying that transgender students are already facing at school.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a joint press conference at the White House on June 8, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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Biden has said he would veto the bill.
