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Transgender Sports Bans: Survey Shows Support Tied to Hostile Attitudes Toward Women
By Drooid · · How we work
Executive Order and State Bans
Since 2020, 27 U.S. states have enacted laws that bar transgender athletes from competing in sports that align with their gender identity. In early 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending the prohibition to K-12 schools, colleges and universities that receive federal funding. At the signing, Trump asserted that the order would stop men from “injuring and cheating” women and girls. WNBA player Sophie Cunningham echoed a similar rationale in a July 2026 ESPN profile, saying she wants to protect young girls in locker rooms and sports from having to face “biological men.”
Public Opinion Survey Results
Political scientists surveyed 1,000 American adults to gauge support for restricting transgender athletes. Roughly 50 % of respondents favored a bill that would prohibit transgender youth from joining school-sponsored teams that match their gender identity. Support varied sharply with attitudes toward women: among participants with the most positive views of women, 45 % backed the restriction, while 58 % of those with the most negative views did so. Support also aligned with positions on Title IX: 43 % of Title IX supporters favored the bans, versus 70 % of Title IX opponents. The researchers note that these patterns persist after controlling for partisanship, ideology and demographic factors.
Analysis of Attitudinal Drivers
The findings challenge the common framing that bans are primarily motivated by a desire to protect women’s sports. Instead, the data indicate that individuals who hold more negative or hostile views toward women are disproportionately likely to endorse exclusionary policies. Conversely, admiration for female athletes does not translate into greater support for the bans. The consistency of the relationship between sexism, opposition to gender-equity policies, and support for the restrictions suggests that the “protection” narrative may mask underlying gender-based hostility.
Broader Implications
If public backing for transgender sports bans is rooted in broader sexist attitudes, policy debates framed as safeguarding women’s athletics may overlook deeper cultural biases. The survey’s results imply that efforts to address the issue will need to confront underlying gender stereotypes rather than solely focusing on competitive fairness arguments.