There are no seismic shifts in American society; change usually comes slowly. Some issues, like racial segregation, interracial marriage, and LGBT issues, come at a glacial pace which often frustrates progressives. And yes, the courts have handed down heinous decisions that have kept discriminatory practices in place. Plessy v. Ferguson, which established the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine in 1896, wasn’t chipped away until the Court's 1954 opinion Brown v. Board of Education. And while the interim period of gross inequality is littered with horrific stories, when change does arrive—it’s pretty much accepted. There will never be 100 percent acceptance as social issues of this stripe are fraught with nuance. Still, this path of gradual change has a better shelf life among society than shoving things down their throats, which has become the go-to option for liberal America.
The transgender issue is overblown. And no, there’s no secret genocide occurring, nor is sentencing child rapists to death the start of such a campaign. Drown out the noise, and you’ll get accurate figures. Most Americans don’t support the LGBT+ community on this issue, whereas some are for pumping prepubescent teens with puberty blockers. Also, gender is a binary choice. Even Millennials agree that such a determination is "assigned at birth." Now, should transgender people be discriminated against within society? No. That was the overwhelming majority regarding access to health care, education, serving military, job opportunities, and housing. And yet, that was never the topic of this forced national discussion.
The Washington Post’s poll was devastating to the small but vocal sect that wants to pump kids full to puberty blockers, surgically twist around their genitals, and make them whatever gender their parents want them to be regardless of what biological science says. These procedures on children aren’t health care—it’s abuse. And on the issue of transgender participation in sports, the consensus is that trans women should be prohibited from playing in leagues that are intended for biological females:
New Washington Post poll shows solid majorities oppose puberty blockers and hormone treatments for teenagers.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) May 5, 2023
This might be a surprise if your window into this debate has been progressive media and Twitter. But people in real life have concerns. https://t.co/BnwAitvOhb pic.twitter.com/MES44MRxw5
These are also quite surprising - 77% don't want their children in k-3 to hear about trans identity in public schools, and 70% don't want it up until 5th grade.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) May 5, 2023
A major indictment of the media that joined the left's political attack on bills they deemed "don't say gay." pic.twitter.com/LBWAMmcqQd
Most Americans don’t believe it’s even possible to be a gender that differs from that assigned at birth. A 57 percent majority of adults said a person’s gender is determined from the start, with 43 percent saying it can differ.
And some Americans have become more conservative on these questions as Republicans have seized the issue and worked to promote new restrictions. 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. 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.
[…]
While a majority of Americans oppose access to puberty blockers and hormone treatments for children and teenagers, for instance, clear majorities also support laws prohibiting discrimination against trans people, including in K-12 schools.
[…]
One of the big unanswerable questions is whether public opinion around transgender issues will shift over time as it did around gay and lesbian rights. Some experts see parallels between the two issues, particularly as conservatives center their efforts on children and schools. Early backlash against gay people also focused on allegations that children would be harmed.
But certainly for now, the new Post-KFF poll finds, Republican lawmakers have the wind at their backs on much of their anti-transgender legislative agenda.
[…]
More than 6 in 10 adults in the Post-KFF poll said trans girls and women should not be allowed to compete in girls’ and women’s sports, including professional, college, high school and youth levels.
[…]
The Post-KFF poll found significant opposition to gender-affirming medical care for children and teens. Nearly 7 in 10 adults said they oppose allowing children ages 10 to 14 access to medication that stops the body from going through puberty, and nearly 6 in 10 oppose giving 15- to 17-year-olds access to hormone treatments. (There was, however, majority support for gender-affirming counseling or therapy, with more than 6 in 10 supporting this for both age groups.)
[…]
There is also wide support for limits on classroom conversation about gender identity with younger children. More than 3 in 4 adults said it was inappropriate to discuss trans identity with students in kindergarten through third grade, and nearly as many said the same for fourth and fifth grades.
Shouting and throwing a tantrum will do nothing. Calling people who disagree with you bigots will do nothing. We’re talking about less than three percent of the population who are legitimately transgender. This isn’t the most pressing issue we’re facing. Still, as with other social movements before them, those in this community should be aware that they may be the foundational blocks but not victorious revolutionaries in this debate. Maybe we will see transwomen see more acceptance in sports, but that might not happen with this generation, and some people need to accept that. As for children being mutilated, I’m not sure that will ever change. But regarding discrimination issues, like preventing transgender people from access to certain benefits, employment, and other fundamental rights in society—no one for that.
