A number of surveys have found that most Americans believe that changing genders is immoral. One Gallup poll on morality showed how 51% of Americans believe that changing one's gender is wrong, while 46% believe that it is morally acceptable. Across demographics, 56% of men and 47% of women are more likely to oppose changing genders. As for ethnicities, 55% of non-white Americans and 49% of white Americans believe changing genders is immoral, while 78% of conservatives believe that changing genders is immoral.
The same Gallup poll revealed that 48% of moderates and 78% of liberals believe that changing genders is morally acceptable, Christian Headlines (CH) reported. A similar survey conducted by Lifeway Research in March showed that 77% of American Protestant pastors believed that changing genders is immoral. Moreover, 72% of pastors said it was immoral for a person to say that he or she identifies as the gender opposite his or her biological sex.
The survey titled "Pastors' View on Gender" showed that majority of these American pastors who are Protestants believe that it is morally wrong to change one's biological birth gender through physical surgery or even public identification. The survey asked over 1,000 pastors if they thought it's "morally wrong" for a person to identify with a gender that is different from the one assigned at birth. Identification did not necessarily mean invasive procedures or medication.
"American culture increasingly views morality differently than historic Christianity," Lifeway Research executive director Scott McConnell explained, as per CH. "When pastors articulate Christian teaching, it often sounds very different from the cultural narrative because it rejects a basis for morality centered on the individual."
Interestingly, up to 48% of pastors admitted to knowing someone who is transgender. McConnell said, "Despite close to half of pastors saying they personally know someone who identifies as transgender, most still view identifying as a different gender as immoral."
In addition, some people who identify as LGBTQ also identify as Christian. A survey from Lifeway Research found that 41% of professing Christians said they identified as LGBTQ, with 23% of Protestants and 18% of Catholics saying they were part of the LGBTQ community. Prominent personalities who are Christians and part of the LGBTQ have also spoken out, including most recently, David Archuleta of American Idol fame.
According to The Hill, these surveys put a finger to the pulse of a nation in the midst of several GOP-backed measures that limit transgender rights across the country. In May, the Human Rights Campaign criticized such measures and named 2021 "the worst year in recent history" for anti-transgender bills.
However, a PBS poll revealed that 67% of Americans, alongside 66% of Republicans have opposed the anti-transgender sports ban legislation that have been written across 30 states. In Fall last year, a 10-swing-state poll also revealed that at least 60% of former President Donald Trump voters in each of the 10 swing states believe that transgender individuals "should be able to live freely and openly," while 87% believe they "should have equal access to medical care."
These surveys clearly indicate the state of American society, particularly in terms standing on Biblical sexuality and identity.
