A new poll finds that targeting trans youth medical care in the U.S. may not be the political slam dunk some Republicans think it is.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (63 percent) oppose government bans on treatments like hormone therapy and puberty blockers being administered to trans minors, according to survey results from Data for Progress. Only 27 percent of the 1,162 individuals polled by the left-leaning non-profit think tank believe that trans young people shouldn’t be able to access health care that is in many cases life-saving.
Voters across all political parties opposed outright bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth, as The 19th reported. Democrats were most likely to say the issue should be left up to trans youth, their families and their doctors, at 78 percent. But a majority of Republicans also agreed with those sentiments; only 43 percent expressed support for laws like those passed in Arkansas and Tennessee that limit the types of health care treatments that can be offered to trans kids.
These results, published on March 9, fly in the face of GOP leaders who believe attacking trans children and their families will rile up their base ahead of the 2022 midterms. According to the Texas Tribune, Gov. Greg Abbott’s top political advisor, Dave Carney, told members of the press last week that trans youth health care is a “winning issue” for Republicans.
“Texans have common sense,” Carney said.
The state ignited national controversy in February when Abbott, who is up for re-election in November, issued a directive asking the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to investigate families of trans youth for child abuse. The non-binding order was released just days before the Republican primaries and has reportedly led to investigations being opened against at least nine families, including a social worker whose child is no longer a minor.
Under the directive, “mandatory reporters” like doctors and teachers who do not notify authorities about trans youth receiving gender-affirming care could face up to a year in prison. Advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Lambda Legal are seeking a full injunction against the guidelines after winning a temporary restraining order halting investigations in two cases.
But while advocacy groups seek to stop Texas trans youth and their loved ones from being persecuted, numerous other states are weighing legislation that would write policies like Abbott’s into law. At least 28 trans youth health care bans are currently under consideration in U.S. state legislatures. Among the worst is an Idaho bill that would jail medical professionals who offer gender-affirming care to trans youth for a maximum life sentence.
Although Americans are broadly opposed to these proposals, Data for Progress found that opinions were more mixed in Texas itself. While a majority of Texans (51 percent) oppose investigations into families that affirm trans kids, most Republicans voiced support for Abbott’s directive. Nearly six in 10 conservative respondents (59 percent) were in favour of the policy, while just 31 percent condemned it.
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