Even as questions surrounding gender identity and biological sex have swirled in the U.S. in recent years, most Americans still hold to the belief that there are only two genders.
What are the details?
The large majority of Americans — 75% to be exact — still agree that there are "only two genders," male and female, with 63% strongly agreeing, according to the results of a new Rasmussen Reports survey released Monday.
Eighteen percent of respondents, however, disagreed with the statement. The poll was conducted Dec. 21-22 and interviewed 1,000 American adults.
The lopsided results could catch some observers by surprise considering the onslaught of lecturing Americans have received from the progressive left regarding gender identity issues in the U.S. over the past several years.
Progressive transgender ideology, which holds the male-female gender binary to be discriminatory, has leaked into nearly every facet of American life, sparking debate on issues ranging from gender pronouns to public restroom use to whether or not hormone therapy and sex-change surgery should be allowed for children. Social media giant Facebook allows users to select from a list of 58 gender identity options.
Americans have debated the fairness of transgender athletes (biological males) competing in women's sports, as well, and public figures — such as comedian Dave Chappelle and "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling — have been denounced for daring to scrutinize the absurdity of transgenderism.
What else?
Yet despite the progressive push, majorities in every political category — including Democrats, Republicans, and independents — agreed that there are only two genders. Nearly 50% of Democrats and 60% of independents said they strongly agreed with the statement.
The general unison continued from there into the particular hot-button issue of counseling schoolchildren about gender identity without parental consent.
The Rasmussen survey reportedly found that a hefty 80% of Republicans, 54% of Democrats, and 72% of those unaffiliated with either major party were "opposed to schools counseling children on gender identity without informing parents." Taken together, 68% of respondents said they were opposed to counseling without parental knowledge.
Anything else?
Respondents were slightly less comfortable with how public the debate has become. When asked specifically about Rowling's public comments supporting the gender binary, 58% sided with her, while 17% characterized her comments as a "hate crime." The remaining 25% said they weren't sure.