While Democrats push for the erasure of biological reality in California, Californians are increasingly rejecting the gender ideology and its outcomes, a November poll found.
Deseret News reported on the results of the poll Wednesday, noting that lawmakers’ embrace of transgenderism appears to be wildly out of step with what Californians actually believe. For several years, Democrats in the state have led the charge: in 2019, they passed the Gender Recognition Act, which allows individuals to change their sex on government documentation. Another law, SB107, turned California into a “sanctuary state” for transgender youth who are fleeing other states to pursue sex-change hormones and procedures.
“Under California law, shelters are to admit individuals on the basis of gender identity and not sex, and ditto for any other facilities, such as gyms or spas or restrooms, that are single-sex: single-sex means single-gender in California,” according to the report. “Furthermore, no documentation of gender identity, such as a driver’s license, is necessary; only an assertion of gender is required.”
Another California law allows men who identify as women to be housed in women’s prisons, and employer-provided health plans in the state must cover transgender-related procedures.
“There are many other trans-related laws that could be mentioned that California has passed — more than any other state — making the state stand out in this area,” the report notes. “And some municipalities in California have even gone further. San Francisco offers a $1,200 per month guaranteed income to trans individuals for 18 months and provides housing subsidies for them as well. Other cities such as Palm Springs and San Diego have similar initiatives underway.”
The new November poll conducted by Spry Strategies with 1,000 likely California voters found that despite these laws, 62 percent of respondents believe sex is binary, meaning one can either be male or female. The sample was stratified to match the party affiliations and demographics of California voters, and the margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points.
Only 22 percent say sex is not binary, while 70 percent agree that the definition of a woman is someone “biologically born female.” Seventy-two percent of respondents say parents should be notified if their child identifies as transgender at school, according to the report.
Moreover, 59 percent say males who identify as females should not compete in women’s sports, and 64 percent say males who identify as females should not be allowed where women change or shower, the poll found. In contrast, 28 percent do believe men should play one women’s sports team and be able to access areas where women shower and change.
Similarly, 60 percent of respondents say males who identify as females should not be housed in women’s prisons, a percentage that rises to 68 percent when the male has been convicted of sexual assault or domestic violence.
With regards to domestic violence shelters, 61 percent of respondents say men identifying as females should not be allowed. Sixty-three percent also oppose sex-change hormones and procedures for minors, with 21 percent saying they should be allowed. Sixty-eight percent say parents should not lose custody of their child if they do not affirm their child’s “gender identity,” a measure proposed by the state legislature that is only supported by 12 percent of respondents.
“Across all these survey questions, at least 2-3 times as many California voters rejected demands that biological sex be erased as a matter of law and policy, compared to the number that supported erasure. This is a robust rejection across the board, and a truly stunning result,” the report notes.
The report compared the survey results to another poll from three years ago with a smaller sample size, noting that the newer poll shows increased rejection of these pro-transgender laws. For example, the 2020 survey cited in the report found that 54 percent of respondents rejected males having access to female changing rooms and showers, compared to 64 percent this year.
“With regard to prison placement, in 2020 the percentage objecting was 46 percent; in 2023, it was 60 percent, a jump of 14 percentage points. For domestic violence shelters, 46 percent objected; in 2023 it was 61 percent, a jump of 15 percentage points,” according to the report.
The increase in the span of three years is “stunning,” the report notes.
“The longer Californians think about it and the more experience they have with the consequences, the less they are on board with the direction their state government is taking,” the report states.