Election News

LGBTQ Nation readers want Democrats to punch back harder at Republicans on trans equality

Half of readers say they want Democrats to call out Republicans' toxic anti-trans campaign strategy.
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Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally on Oct. 14, 2024, at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wis.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally on Oct. 14, 2024, at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wis. Photo: Sarah Kloepping. Green Bay Press Gazette via USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Earlier this week, LGBTQ Nation asked its readers how Democrats should respond to anti-trans ads. And about half of you said that they should go on the attack and explain how the GOP’s hatred of trans people is toxic.

Republicans spent over $655 million on ads attacking transgender rights in this election cycle, saying that their Democratic opponents support trans equality and that that is a reason to vote against them. The ones getting the most attention are from the Trump-Vance campaign, accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of supporting gender-affirming care for federal inmates (something that the Constitution already protects) and saying, “Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you.”

Related:

You, our readers, care a lot about reproductive freedom

We asked what issue concerned you most in upcoming ballot initiatives.

Republicans in other states, including Montana, Ohio, and Texas, have been using the issue to try to get votes. Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) campaign is running several ads attacking his opponent, Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), for voting for the Equality Act, saying that this will lead to “sex changes for kids,” which isn’t true, and “allow boys in the girls’ bathrooms,” which also isn’t true because trans girls are girls.

Several polls have shown that voters say that this line of attack isn’t effective, and Democrats’ reactions to the attacks have been diverse. Some Democrats, like Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), have been accused of compromising their support for trans people by distancing themselves from equal rights for trans people, while Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) – Harris’ running mate – has continued to vocally defend trans rights.

So we wanted to know what you all think, and half of you said that Democrats should go on the attack and call the anti-trans attacks “toxic.” This position has some backing to it – a recent Data for Progress poll found that 54% of likely voters agreed that anti-trans attacks “have gotten mean-spirited and out of hand,” with only half that number – 26% – disagreeing.

About a quarter of readers said that Democrats should take a more positive tack and include the stories of trans people in their ads and campaign events. Knowing a transgender person makes people twice as likely to support trans rights, according to a Data for Progress study from last year, so this tactic could lead to more understanding.

The two least popular choices in our reader survey were to ignore the ads and for Democrats to release their own ads explaining their pro-trans equality positions.

A bar chart titled “How should Democrats respond to the GOP’s anti-trans attacks?” shows four response options with percentages based on data from 3,327 respondents (October 18–25, 2024). The responses are: “Ignore them - most voters don’t care anyway” (14%). “Release ads explaining their own pro-trans stances” (11%). “Highlight the stories of trans people in ads and campaign events” (25%). “Go on the attack - explain how the GOP’s hatred of trans people is toxic” (50%). The LGBTQ Nation logo is in the bottom right corner.
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LGBTQ Nation will have another poll next week at our Equality For All 2024 election news center. In the meantime, make sure you’re registered to vote.

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