Most US voters in favour of introducing more LGBTQ+ protections
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A new survey has found that a majority of US voters are in favour of introducing more pro-LGBTQ+ laws and protections.
Research from think tank Data for Progress shows also found that almost 50 per cent of voters feel the political climate has become increasingly hostile toward LGBTQ+ Americans.
These figures come as the US sees an increase in legislation that targets or restricts LGBTQ+ people – particularly transgender people. This is seen in the form of book bans, school curriculum censorship, restricted access to life-saving healthcare, and restrictions on transgender people’s eligibility to participate in sport.
Data for Progress found that 57 per cent of US voters believe that the US should introduce more laws to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination.
When broken down, that 57 per cent accounts for 91 per cent of LGBTQ+ respondents and 53 per cent of straight and cisgender respondents.
Meanwhile, support for stronger LGBTQ+ protections was more highly favoured by Democratic voters (82 per cent) than Republican voters (32 per cent).
According to the survey, just one in three voters personally know someone who is transgender (35 per cent Democrat and 23 per cent Republican), and just 21 per cent of voters personally know someone who is nonbinary (27 per cent Democrat and 12 per cent Republican).
Commenting on the survey findings, Danielle Deiseroth of Data for Progress noted that voters who know an LGBTQ+ person consistently display higher levels of support for pro-LGBTQ+ policies – even across party lines.
“Those who know a transgender person are more likely to support legislation that protects transgender Americans and expands their rights,” she told The Independent.
“As right-wing politicians continue to target the transgender community, this pattern underscores the importance of elevating trans voices and increasing transgender representation across the media.”
Of course, this is far from the first time that a survey has proven that US voters are in favour of protecting LGBTQ+ people – in fact, that’s a rather common occurrence these days.
For example, there was last month’s survey that found US voters think lawmakers are putting too much of a focus on transgender issues.
The data, published by SurveyMonkey, found that Republicans in particular – 58 per cent – didn’t want their politicians focusing on trans issues, compared with 49 per cent of independents and 32 per cent of Democrats.
The month before, polling service Navigator determined that more than half of Americans are deeply concerned about the number of anti-LGBTQ+ policies being enforced in schools.
A majority of voters cared more about issues like mental health, education quality, and gun violence than whether students learn about gender identity in the classroom.
And, earlier this year, a Fox News poll determined that more than half of US voters felt transgender children were wrongly being targeted by political attacks, with just one per cent of respondents stating that they were concerned about so-called “wokeness.”
Despite all of this data being released again and again, state lawmakers have dedicated a significant amount of their time and resources this year to introducing anti-LGBTQ+ bills – particularly to target the rights of transgender youth.
At the time of writing, there are currently 501 anti-LGBTQ+ bills being considered in the US, according to the ACLU.
