Transphobia in the United States
Transphobia in the United States has changed over time. Understanding and acceptance of transgender people have both decreased and increased during the last few decades depending on the details of the issues which have been facing the public. Various governmental bodies in the United States have enacted anti-transgender legislation. Social issues in the United States also reveal a level of transphobia. Because of transphobia, transgender people in the U.S. face increased levels of violence and intimidation. Cisgender people can also be affected by transphobia. American viewpoints on transgender people Gender binary norms in the United States are considered rigid and gender nonconforming people can face discrimination, shaming, or other types of gender policing in their daily lives. A 2021 Gallup poll found that 62 percent of Americans believed that transgender people should only play sports on teams that match their gender assigned at birth. Many professional sports leagues in the United States allow transgender players to participate with various types of guidelines and inclusion levels. The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference allows transgender students to compete according to their gender identities. FINA effectively barred all transgender women from competing in professional women's swimming, with the exception of athletes who "can establish to FINA's comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later". While the majority of Americans supported openly transgender people serving in the military, the percentage decreased between 2019 and 2021, going from 71% to 66%. Government protections In 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, transgender employees are protected from discrimination in the workplace. The Biden administration has created some protections for transgender people in the country. In July 2022, the United States Department of Health and Human Services proposed the restoration of nondiscrimination policies that would protect transgender people. In April 2023, Governor Phil Murphy established New Jersey as a "safe haven for gender-affirming health care." Anti-trans attitudes Those who oppose transgender rights argue that "irresponsible parents" and young people are rushing to make decisions about their trans identities and they also argue that these decisions are based on "social contagion". Conservative activists question the need to talk to children about their gender or sexual identities. Activists who oppose gender-affirming care claim that physicians and parents are putting children through "irreversible medical treatments" without proper safeguards. Some states have pushed for laws banning gender-affirming care by claiming that medical treatment for transgender youth is "child abuse." Social media accounts, such as Libs of TikTok, have helped spread a moral panic about gender-affirming care. Many groups and individuals, despite a lack of evidence for their beliefs, are creating a "culture war" around transgender people. Some anti-trans activists believe that LGBT ideology will destabilize the United States government and that LGBT people are a "security threat" to the nation. Some people also feel that transgender soldiers are a threat to military