A new statewide survey asks Oregonians their opinions on transgender issues and policies. Some key findings include:
- 45% of Oregonians think gender is determined by sex at birth, while 46% believe that someone can be a gender that is different from the sex assigned at birth.
- 38% think society has gone too far in accepting transgender people, while 35% think we haven’t gone far enough, and 18% say the level of acceptance is about right.
- There is strong support (78%) for protecting transgender people from discrimination, but many other policies are divisive for Oregonians, including the following:
- 61% think transgender athletes should be required to compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, while 45% think they should be required to use public bathrooms that match their assigned sex at birth.
- Requiring health insurance companies to cover medical care for gender transitions has 42% support, which falls slightly to 40% when asked specifically about the Oregon Health Plan requiring such coverage.
- When it comes to policies that affect transgender youth, 60% think it should be illegal for health care professionals to provide someone younger than 18 with gender-affirming medical care. 46% think public elementary schools should not be allowed to teach about gender identity, while 47% think they should. 40% think parents of transgender children should be investigated for child abuse if they help their child seek gender-affirming medical care.
The questions in this survey match language used in a 2022 Pew Research study. You can see how Oregonians compare here.
