(LifeSiteNews) — Most Americans agree to the truth that a person’s gender is unchangeable, according to a Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
While the biological reality of gender does not change based on polling, the recent results show that LGBT activists have not definitively won the fight over sex. Furthermore, the results show that when clear language is used to ask about LGBT issues, Americans are more likely to take the biologically realistic and conservative stance.
“A 57 percent majority of adults said a person’s gender is determined from the start, with 43 percent saying it can differ,” the poll reported.
A majority of every age group polled agreed that “a person’s gender is determined from the start,” even though the poll oversampled “transgender” individuals – of the 1318 people sampled, 515 “identify as trans,” giving 0.6 percent of the population a 40 percent share of the respondents.
The Post conceded that Americans have swung to a more conservative approach on the issues.
“The Pew Research Center found 60 percent last year saying one’s gender is determined by the sex assigned at birth, up from 54 percent in 2017,” the May 5 article reported. “Even among young adults, who are the most accepting of trans identity, about half said in the Post-KFF poll that a person’s gender is determined by their sex at birth.”
The poll found support for liberal positions when it used slanted and vague language. For example, one question asked “Do you support or oppose laws prohibiting discrimination against trans people,” without explaining what that means.
When the questions were asked in a more straightforward way, a majority of respondents took the conservative approach grounded in biological reality. More than 6 in 10 Americans said gender-confused men should not be allowed to compete against women in youth, high school, college, and professional sports.
Another question showed the possible confusion around the term “gender-affirming,” since about the same percentage that said gender cannot change also said they support “gender-affirming counseling or therapy.” This likely indicates that respondents believe “gender-affirming” means working with a gender-confused person to accept his or her sex.
A related poll question that uses clearer language on whether minors should access “puberty-blocking medication” found nearly 70 percent opposed for gender-confused children ages 10-14.
The poll found further support for laws like Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill which prohibited discussion of gender identity in K-3.
Seventy-seven percent said it is inappropriate to “discuss trans identity” in K-3 while 70 percent said it was inappropriate to discuss in “grades 4 and 5.”
The poll stands in contrast to another poll from Grinnell College which claimed wide support for the transgender agenda, particularly dangerous drugs and surgeries.
“Majority of Americans Oppose Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Those Under 18,” Grinnell College claimed.
But as I explained in an opinion piece, polling that uses this type of language is flawed in much the same way abortion polling is flawed.
As I wrote:
First, the term ‘gender-affirming care’ means the opposite of what the plain language understanding would indicate. Since it is not possible for someone to actually change their gender, ‘gender-affirming care’ sounds like helping a person who struggles with gender dysphoria come to a healthy understanding that they have a mental health issue, but it can be treated, or at least managed.
Second, the use of the term ‘care’ is broad enough that when paired with ‘affirming,’ it sounds like a medical professional providing counseling to assist someone in overcoming gender identity issues.
“Polling on transgender issues should similarly give specific explanations of what the laws do and what is involved in the drugs and surgeries given to gender-dysphoric individuals,” I argued. “While polls do not determine morality, it is a fact of life that politicians vote based on what they think is popular.”
This is likely why the question about “puberty blocking” found opposition to what LGBT activists want.
Support for protecting the integrity of the sexes and ensuring individuals are not harmed by unscientific transgender drugs and surgeries continues to grow in support, as evidenced by the 14 states so far in 2023 that have banned or limited access to chemical and surgical mutilation.