Gallup Survey: 2/3 Americans Favor Birth Gender for Sports

A majority of Americans believe that birth gender, rather than gender identity, should govern participation in competitive sports, according to a new Gallup survey with details published on UPI.com.

While 61% of Americans favor allowing openly transgender men and women to serve in the U.S. military, 62% say trans athletes should only be allowed to play on sports teams that correspond with their birth gender.

Fifty-five percent of Democrats support transgender athletes’ ability to play on teams matching their gender identity.

Gallup said 3 in 10 Americans report having a friend, relative, or colleague who is transgender. That rate falls with each older age cohort.

“On one hand, strong majorities of Americans have supported transgender people’s right to openly serve in the military. Viewed alongside support for allowing openly gay and lesbian people to serve in the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ era, it’s fair to say that most Americans believe that people who want to defend and fight for the U.S. should be allowed to, regardless of their identity,” Gallup reported.

“On the other hand, the increasing rate of trans-identification among U.S. youth is challenging norms in ways that many Americans are not ready to question.”

» RELATED: New Alabama Transgender Bill May Affect Zero Youth Athletes

Four states — Alabama Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas — have signed transgender athlete bans into law in the last year, according to AL.com. The report went on to add that, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), another 27 states have considered similar bills.