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As bills aiming to push transgender people out of public life pass through state legislatures nationwide, a new survey shows that most Americans — regardless of party, race or gender — believe that trans people deserve equal protection.
In a new survey of over 1,000 respondents, 85% of Americans believe that “transgender people should have the same rights and protection as everyone else.” The sentiment was agreed upon by 92% of Democrats, 76% of Republicans and 87% of independents. The survey was conducted by research firm SSRS and funded by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
The survey also found that over four in 10 Americans now know a trans person, a rise from just one in three in previous surveys, while 27% of Americans say that they regularly have conversations with trans people. Previous research has shown that knowing a trans person corresponds with increased support for trans issues.
A large majority of Americans agreed that trans people should be able to access the health care they need (89%), be protected from employment discrimination (79%), and protected from discrimination and harassment in schools (83%). Notably, a majority of Republicans believed that trans people should be protected from discrimination in both arenas, as well.
With each question, support for protections for trans people was highest among people who spoke with trans people regularly, higher among those who knew a trans person, and lowest among those who did not know a trans person
HRC underscored that these results point out that not only is support for trans equality broad nationwide, but that personal connection matters when it comes to protecting trans people’s rights.
“Transgender people are not strangers. They are our neighbors, coworkers, family members, and friends. And this new data shows that as people get to know them, they are more likely to stand by them as allies,” Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a press release accompanying the data.
Human Rights Campaign released the data to coincide with Trans Day of Visibility, the annual celebration of trans people’s existence. By the time that this year’s observance has rolled around, 747 anti-trans bills have been proposed in 42 states, per the Trans Legislation Tracker. Of those, 23 have passed and 47 have failed, with the remaining 677 still under consideration.
“American people are far more united than extremists will admit. We believe in fairness. We believe in dignity. And we believe in treating people equally under the law,” Robinson continued. “When one group is singled out and told they don’t belong, it weakens the foundation of freedom for everyone. That’s why defending trans rights is part of defending democracy itself. The more we show up for each other, the stronger our communities and our democracy become.”
The survey was conducted from February 20 through February 23 with 1,032 respondents over the internet and via telephone, with responses in English and Spanish. You can read the full results of the survey here.
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