
Are transgender sports bans really about protecting women? Survey data tells a different story
If admiration and support for female athletes drive support for prohibiting transgender women from participating in women’s sports, then those who favor Title IX should also favor bans. Instead, 43% of Title IX supporters favored restrictions, compared with 70% of Title IX opponents.
Our findings – that negative attitudes toward women and opposition to Title IX predict support for banning transgender women from sports that match their gender identity – hold even after accounting for other factors like partisanship, ideology and demographic characteristics.
The debate over transgender athletes is often framed as a matter of protecting women. Our findings complicate that narrative: People with the most negative attitudes toward women – and toward policies that protect women’s sports – are the most supportive of banning transgender women from women’s sports.






