As more and more states ban transgender athletes from women’s sports, a new survey has revealed that an overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of transgender girls participating in female sports.
The Washington Post and University of Maryland conducted a national survey of more than 1,500 adults and found that 55 percent of Americans oppose transgender female athletes competing with cisgender women in high school sports. A further 58 percent opposed it at the college and professional levels.
The survey also found that 70 percent of participants believe transgender girls have a competitive advantage over other girls in youth sports, while 30 percent disagree.
Most of the respondents identified themselves as parents and sports enthusiasts.
However, a slim majority of those surveyed said they were concerned about the mental health of transgender athletes barred from participating in youth sports.
“People increasingly have an awareness of the issue and are empathetic toward the journey that transgender people are on, but the notion that they are competing against athletes that are born a particular sex are lagging behind that,” director of UMD’s Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism, Mark Hyman, told The Washington Post.
