Americans Oppose Puberty Blockers for Transgender Minors

Most Americans don't believe under-16s can consent to puberty-blocking drugs, according to a new survey conducted exclusively for Newsweek.

Fifty-four percent of U.S. eligible voters either disagreed or strongly disagreed that under-16s can consent to such drugs, with 22 percent thinking they can.

Treatment of trans-identifying children has become a major political issue over the past few years, with 19 Republican-controlled states passing laws either to ban or severely restrict gender-affirming healthcare for minors. Opponents see the bills as an attack on the entire LGBTQ+ community and an attempt to roll back laws on gay rights, such as same-sex marriage, that now have widespread support. Campaigners are also boycotting Target after the retailer sold LGBTQ+ themed clothing aimed at children as part of its Pride range.

The latest polling was conducted for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, which surveyed 1,500 eligible voters in the U.S. on April 30.

When asked whether "children under the age of 16 are able to give informed consent to be prescribed puberty-blocking drugs," 12 percent of respondents agreed, and another 10 percent strongly agreed. By contrast, 20 percent disagreed, and 34 percent strongly disagreed. The remaining 9 percent weren't sure.

Democrats and Men More Likely To Back Consent

However, answers to the question varied significantly by age and political affiliation, with younger and Democratic-leaning voters much more likely to think under-16s can consent.

In the 18-24 age group, 43 percent held such a view, along with 34 percent of those aged 25-34. In the 55-64 age group, 12 percent held such a view, and just 9 percent of those who are 65 or over.

Of those who voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, 17 percent think children can consent, as opposed to 29 percent of Joe Biden voters.

There is also a disparity by gender, with 24 percent of men backing under-16 consent, against 19 percent of women. Overall, 54 percent of both men and women disagreed that under-16s can consent.

Opposition to Children Changing Gender

The survey also found that only a small minority of Americans believe children should be able to change their gender as children.

Nine percent of those surveyed said those aged 16 should be "allowed to decide to legally change their gender." Another 25 percent put the threshold at 18 years old, 19 percent at 21, and 10 percent at 25. Of the remainder, 27 percent think you should never be allowed to legally change gender, and 10 percent were unsure.

Sport and Single-Sex Spaces

A strong majority of Americans oppose participation in female sport by those who "did not go through puberty-blocking treatment before adulthood," with 60 percent saying such individuals should be banned from taking part, versus 17 percent who think they should be allowed to.

Fifty-three percent of Americans believe only individuals described in the survey as "biologically female" should "have access to single-sex spaces for women, such as prisons and shelters." Twenty-four percent disagreed, with the remaining 23 percent unsure.

A Growing Controversy

The controversy over LGBTQ+ rights, and the backlash against them, shows no signs of abating. There was outrage online after transgender influencer Rose Montoya was pictured topless at the White House Pride Month celebration on Saturday, which was hosted by President Biden.

Alongside TikTok video from the event, during which she bares her breasts, Montoya wrote: "I had the honor of attending White House Pride, the largest one in history where the pride flag flew for the first time. This is trans joy. We're here at the white house unapologetically trans, queer, and brown."

According to analysis website Social Blade Montoya gained 1,100 social media followers on Saturday alone, after the controversy broke out.

Earlier this year Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said young children should be banned from receiving gender-affirming care, and the state later passed a law prohibiting such treatment for minors.

He said: "That's wrong and so we've stood up and said both from the health and children well-being perspective, you don't disfigure 10-, 12-, 13-year-old kids based on gender dysphoria. Eighty percent of it resolves anyways by the time they get older...I think these doctors need to get sued for what's happening."

The Human Rights Campaign, an activist group, says more than 520 bills that it characterizes as anti-LGBTQ+ have been introduced in state legislatures in 2023, a record. Of those, it says that more than 125 bills would limit trans access to health care, 45 would ban transgender students from school sports and 30 target the use of bathrooms by transgender people.