Over half of registered voters say political attacks on trans kids, families are a ‘major problem’: poll

Hundreds of students carry signs and walk out of school on Transgender Day of Visibility outside Omaha Central High School Friday, March 31, 2023 in Omaha, Neb. (Anna Reed/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

More than half of registered voters believe political attacks on transgender children and families are a “major problem,” according to a Fox News poll. 

The poll found that 57 percent of respondents said the attacks are a major problem, while 26 percent said they are a minor problem. Only 15 percent said they were not a problem, while 3 percent said they were unsure. 

The results come as numerous states have approved legislation targeting the rights of LGBTQ individuals. 

Republican members of the Kansas state legislature voted on Thursday to override a veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on a transgender bathroom bill. The legislation defines sex as an “individual’s biological sex, either male or female, at birth.” 

The law, once it goes into effect on July 1, will apply to school restrooms, locker rooms, prisons and domestic violence shelters. 

Kansas is set to join at least eight other states that have bans on transgender students using school facilities that are consistent with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), an organization that tracks state bills on LGBTQ issues.

MAP also reports that more than a dozen states have passed laws to ban youth from having access to gender-affirming care.

Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D), one the state’s first openly transgender lawmakers, was censured by the state House on Wednesday over comments she made telling lawmakers who supported a ban on gender-affirming care for minors in the state that they would have “blood on your hands.”

The White House slammed the censure as “undemocratic.”

MAP reports that 21 states have also implemented bans on transgender students being able to participate on sports teams that are consistent with their gender identity. 

The Fox poll did find that 54 percent of respondents said female transgender athletes competing in women’s sports is a major problem, while 27 percent said it is a minor problem. Only 18 percent said it is not a problem. 

The survey was conducted through phone interviews between April 21-24 with 1,004 registered voters. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Tags Laura Kelly LGBTQ Transgender rights transgender youth

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