Thursday, July 29, 2021

Poll says more Americans today know someone who is transgender


The study found that those who said they know a transgender person was higher among Americans under 30 and Democrats. The share was lower among Republicans. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

July 29 (UPI) -- The number of Americans today who say they know someone who is transgender -- more than 40% -- has risen significantly over the past four years, according to a new survey.

The poll, taken by Pew Research Center, says 42% of U.S. respondents said they know a transgender acquaintance -- an increase of 5 points since 2017.
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Also, the survey found that a quarter of respondents said they know someone who goes by a gender-neutral pronoun, an increase of 8 points since 2018.

"Growing shares of U.S. adults say they know someone who is transgender or who goes by a gender-neutral pronoun. Yet Americans' comfort levels with using gender-neutral pronouns to refer to someone -- as well as their opinions on whether someone's gender can differ from the sex they were assigned at birth -- have remained static," Pew Research Center said in a statement.

About half of respondents said they feel comfortable using gender-neutral pronouns like "they" and "them," and 56% said a person's birth sex determines whether they are a man or woman. Both figures are mostly unchanged since 2017.

The study found that those who said they know a transgender person was higher among Americans under 30 (53%) and Democrats (48%). The share was lower among Republicans (35%) and persons with a college degree (46%).

Pop stars Demi Lovato and Sam Smith both have declared themselves to be non-binary, meaning they do not fit into a biological gender.

The State Department recently announced it would allow Americans to choose their gender on passports, without any medical denotation. New York state passed legislation last month to allow residents to identify as "X" gender on official documents.

The Pew survey was conducted last month and questioned about 10,606 adults nationwide.

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