A new poll conducted by The New York Times and Ipsos has found that a majority of Americans do not want to allow men who believe they are women to participate in female sports.
The poll, which surveyed 2,128 individuals from the “American general population (ages 18+),” was conducted from Jan. 2 to Jan. 10.
One of the questions was: “Thinking about transgender female athletes — meaning athletes who were male at birth but who currently identify as female — do you think they should or should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports?”
[RELATED: Sen. Tommy Tuberville introduces bill to ban men from joining women’s sports]
The survey found that 79 percent of respondents believe that men who “identify” as females “[s]hould not be allowed to compete in women’s sports.”
94 percent of Republicans and those who lean Republican opposed letting men compete against women, as opposed to 67 of Democrats and those who lean Democrat, and 64 percent of Independents and those of other political persuasions.
49 percent of respondents also believe that “[s]ociety has gone too far in accommodating transgender people,” with 77 percent of Republicans and those who lean Republic affirming that statement, as opposed to 23 percent of Democrats and those who lean Democrat.
Both issues–male participation in female sports and “transgender accommodation”–have appeared in headlines on stories about higher education.
In 2024, for example, San Jose State University caused a national stir when it was discovered that the school had allowed a six foot tall male player, Blaire Fleming, to play on its female volleyball team.
Also in 2024, Campus Reform acquired photos showing that several men’s restrooms on Duke University’s campus featured tampon dispensers.
The issue of men justifying going into women’s restrooms on the basis of their so-called “gender identity” has also caused controversy, inspiring several state lawmakers to crack down on the practice.
Montana State Rep. Kerri Seekings-Crowe, for example, told Campus Reform how she discovered “an increasing number of stories from women who have faced uncomfortable and even threatening situations in what should be private and safe spaces.” She introduced legislation, recently passed in the Montana House, to keep women’s restrooms and other private facilities exclusively for the use of women.
Campus Reform has reached out to Ipsos for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
