Pew Research Center’s latest survey suggests the public debate around Bruce Jenner and transgender participation in sport is still deeply unsettled, with most Americans saying they are not comfortable with transgender athletes competing on teams that do not match their birth sex. The divide is especially stark between Republicans and Democrats.
In the Pew Research Center survey of 10,357 U.S. adults, 91% of Republicans said they would not be comfortable with transgender athletes playing on teams that do not match their birth sex. That is a clear sign of how firmly the issue has settled into the wider culture war around women’s and girls’ sports.
Republicans and Democrats remain far apart
The party split is not new, but it is still striking. In February 2025, Pew Research Center surveyed 5,097 U.S. adults and found that 88% of Republicans favored a law or policy requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams that match their sex at birth, compared with 45% of Democrats.
The same February survey also showed that 56% of adults supported policies aimed at protecting trans people from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces. That is the important nuance in the public mood: Americans are broadly uneasy about transgender athletes in sport, but a majority still backs anti-discrimination protections for trans people.
A debate that is bigger than one sports question
Back in 2022, Pew found that 85% of Republicans favored a law or policy requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams that match their sex at birth, while 37% of Democrats felt the same. The numbers now show that Republican opposition remains overwhelming, while Democratic opinion has also moved upward in support of restrictions.
For many Americans, the issue is being argued through fairness, safety and identity all at once. That is why it remains such a live topic in the broader debate about transgender participation in women’s and girls’ sports.
What this latest polling makes clear is that the country is not moving toward consensus. Most Americans remain uncomfortable with the idea of transgender athletes on teams that do not match their birth sex, even as support for protection from discrimination stays in majority territory.
