Many voters reject candidates who support gender-change procedures for minors: Survey

More than 7 in 10 voters say they will not vote for a candidate who supports gender-transition procedures for minors such as puberty blockers, hormone treatments and sex-change surgeries, according to a survey released Thursday by a conservative group.

The Convention of States Action, working with the Trafalgar Group, found that more than 63% of voters are not likely to support a candidate who backs these procedures for minors and more than 9% are “somewhat less likely” to vote for that candidate.

Conversely, about 27% said they would back a candidate who supports the procedures.

“Voters — most of whom are parents — know that this policy goes wildly beyond common sense in a country where we restrict entertainment, alcohol use, medications, driving, voting, and even criminal sentencing for minors,” said Mark Meckler, president of the Convention of States.

The midterm election season has been dominated by concerns about the economy and inflation, and concerns about crime and abortion access.

There is also an emerging debate around sexual identity and the extent to which the topic is taught in schools, or whether minors should be able to make physical changes that are different than their assigned sex at birth.

Earlier this year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a legal opinion classifying gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors as child abuse under the state family code, leading to a fierce debate about whether families should be investigated.

President Biden, meanwhile, has backed transgender rights and rebuked states that crack down on procedures.

“I don’t think any state or anybody should have the right to do that — as a moral question and as a legal question. I just think it’s wrong,” Mr. Biden told a transgender actress in a recent interview.

The new survey found an overwhelming share of independent voters — nearly 80% — are unlikely to vote for a candidate who supports letting minors receive gender-transition procedures.

Nearly 97% of Republican voters would reject such a candidate while nearly 43% of Democratic voters said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports the procedures.

The survey was conducted among 1,080 voters from Oct. 25 to Oct. 30 and had a margin of error of nearly 3 percentage points.