As a second Trump administration gets underway, 78% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults in the United States say they expect the administration’s policies to have a negative impact on people who are transgender. And 71% expect a negative impact on those who are gay, lesbian or bisexual, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Majorities of LGBTQ adults see the Republican Party and the Supreme Court as unfriendly to transgender people. Many also say these institutions are unfriendly to those who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. LGBTQ adults generally see the Democratic Party as more friendly to these groups.
The survey also finds that LGBTQ adults overwhelmingly favor policies that protect transgender individuals from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces. Majorities also support requiring health insurance companies to cover medical care for gender transitions. Views are more mixed on policies related to trans athletes or medical care for gender transitions for minors.
The survey was conducted in January, just before Donald Trump issued several executive orders related to transgender rights at the start of his second presidency.
Related: Americans have grown more supportive of restrictions for trans people in recent years
Expectations about Trump administration policies
LGBTQ adults’ views differ by party on how the policies the Trump administration decides to implement will affect specific groups.
Large majorities of LGBTQ adults who are Democrats or lean Democratic say they expect these policies to have a negative impact on those who are transgender (88%) and those who are gay, lesbian or bisexual (83%).
At the same time, 35% of LGBTQ adults who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party think these policies will have a negative impact on people who are transgender. Fewer (17%) say the same about the impact on people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual.
Many LGBTQ Republicans say that the impact of the administration’s policies will be neither positive nor negative or that the administration will not implement any policies related to LGBTQ issues.
Republicans are a relatively small share of LGBTQ adults overall. Eight-in-ten LGBTQ adults identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, while 16% are Republican or lean Republican.
Views on how U.S. institutions treat LGBT people
We also asked LGBTQ adults whether they think each major political party, the Supreme Court and their state government are friendly, unfriendly or neutral toward people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual and people who are transgender.
In general, LGBTQ adults see these institutions as less friendly to people who are transgender than to people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. For example, 59% see the Democratic Party as friendly toward people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual, but only 46% say it’s friendly to trans people.
In addition, 77% say the Republican Party is unfriendly toward transgender people, while 71% say the same about people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. Higher shares also say the Supreme Court is unfriendly toward people who are transgender (56%) than toward people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual (47%).
Views are more mixed about their state government and vary based on which party controls the governorship and state legislature.
In states with a Democratic-led government, more LGBTQ adults say their government is friendly than say it is unfriendly toward:
- People who are gay, lesbian or bisexual (61% friendly vs. 6% unfriendly)
- People who are transgender (49% friendly vs. 10% unfriendly)
Those in Republican-led states are more likely to say their state government is unfriendly than say it is friendly toward:
- People who are gay, lesbian or bisexual (52% unfriendly vs. 8% friendly)
- People who are transgender (61% unfriendly vs. 6% friendly)
In states with divided government, LGBTQ adults tend to be split in their assessments. For example, 19% in these states say their state government is friendly toward people who are transgender, while 30% say it is unfriendly and 38% say it is neutral.
Differences by party
Among LGBTQ Democrats, 63% say the Democratic Party is friendly toward people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. A smaller share (48%) say it’s friendly toward people who are transgender.
Among LGBTQ Republicans, just 24% say the Republican Party is friendly toward people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. And 11% say it’s friendly toward people who are transgender. They are more likely to see the Democratic Party as friendly to these groups.
When it comes to the Supreme Court, 20% of Republicans and just 4% of Democrats say it is friendly toward people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. And 12% and 2%, respectively, say it is friendly toward people who are trans. Majorities of Democrats see the Supreme Court as unfriendly toward these groups, while a plurality of Republicans see it as neutral.
Differences among adults who are gay or lesbian, bisexual, or transgender
Higher shares of transgender adults than gay, lesbian or bisexual adults say the Republican Party and Supreme Court are unfriendly toward people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. And transgender adults are the most likely to say the Supreme Court is unfriendly toward people who are transgender: 71% of trans adults say this, compared with 59% of gay or lesbian adults and 51% of bisexual adults.
Gay or lesbian adults are more likely than bisexual or transgender adults to say the Democratic Party is friendly toward people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual and people who are transgender.
How LGBTQ adults view policies related to trans people
We also asked LGBTQ adults about some laws and policies related to transgender issues that are either in place or being considered.
Two measures have the support of most LGBTQ adults:
- Protecting trans people from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces (86% favor or strongly favor)
- Requiring health insurance companies to cover medical care for gender transitions (61%)
And two measures are opposed by majorities of LGBTQ adults:
- Requiring trans individuals to use public bathrooms that match the sex they were assigned at birth rather than the gender they identify with (63% oppose or strongly oppose)
- Making it illegal for public school districts to teach about gender identity in elementary schools (62%)
About half of LGBTQ adults (48%) also oppose laws that make it illegal for health care professionals to help someone younger than 18 with medical care for a gender transition. And 41% oppose requiring trans athletes to compete on teams that match their sex at birth. About three-in-ten support each of these measures.
Differences among adults who are gay or lesbian, bisexual, or transgender
Most gay or lesbian (88%), bisexual (84%) and transgender adults (91%) favor measures that would protect trans people against discrimination. Majorities also favor requiring health insurance companies to cover care for gender transitions, with transgender adults being the most supportive (88% vs. 60% of gay or lesbian adults and 56% of bisexual adults).
Transgender adults are also more likely than those who are gay, lesbian or bisexual to say they oppose each of the following:
- Requiring trans individuals to use public bathrooms matching their sex at birth (84% vs. 64% of gay or lesbian adults and 58% of bisexual adults)
- Banning public school districts from teaching about gender identity in elementary schools (80% vs. 62% and 58%)
- Banning health care professionals from providing care related to gender transitions for minors (75% vs. 47% and 42%)
- Requiring trans athletes to compete on teams matching their sex at birth (75% vs. 35% and 37%)
Differences by party
Views vary widely by party on each of the six measures we asked about. For example, 70% of LGBTQ Democrats favor requiring health insurance companies to cover medical care for gender transitions. Just 21% of LGBTQ Republicans say the same.
In turn, most LGBTQ Republicans favor requiring trans athletes to compete on teams that match their sex at birth (68%) and prohibiting health care professionals from helping minors transition (66%). About one-in-five LGBTQ Democrats support each measure.
Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.