(Joshua Paladino, Headline USA) The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ activism organization, claimed in a poll released on April 7 that half of American adults would feel comfortable with their child identifying as transgender or nonbinary.
The poll, which surveyed 2,200 people, found that two-thirds of Americans would feel comfortable if their child came out as gay or lesbian, reported the Eagle-Tribune.
The Trevor Project asked respondents about their familiarity with LGBTQ pronouns, like “queer,” “pansexual,” and “nonbinary” as well as their relationships with LGBTQ people.
Most adults in the survey said they know at least one gay or lesbian person. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said they know a gay man compared to 65 percent who know a lesbian woman.
Less than one-third (29 percent) said they know a transgender person and only 17 percent said they know a nonbinary person.
“These findings … underscore how badly trans and nonbinary voices are needed in media and in statehouses across the country,” said Sam Ames, director of advocacy and government affairs for The Trevor Project.
Ames said the American public’s limited knowledge of transgender and nonbinary people has made it easier for state governments to pass laws that prohibit LGBTQ indoctrination.
The Human Rights Campaign reported that 10 states have passed 26 laws restricting so-called gender transition surgeries, which cause permanent infertility, cross-sex hormone injections, and education about sexual orientation and gender theory.
“We’ve come a long way toward public understanding of the full, beautiful spectrum of sexual orientation,” Ames said. “But when it comes to gender identity, we have a lot of work to do.”
The Trevor Project conducts a yearly survey that tracks mental health among LGBTQ people. The 2020 survey found that 21 percent of transgender and nonbinary adolescents attempted suicide in the past year, while 52 percent considered committing suicide.
About 60 percent of children who identify as transgender or nonbinary said they tried to access mental health counseling in the past year.
