A growing divide within the transgender activist community is emerging as public support for the movement’s most contentious issues steadily declines. Recent polling and internal criticism suggest that zealous advocacy tactics and extreme policy demands may be alienating Americans rather than winning them over.
A Gallup poll revealed that transgender rights ranked dead last among 22 issues influencing 2024 voters. A significant 36% of respondents dismissed the topic as “not important.” More detailed polling on issues like transgender bathroom policies, biological males in women’s sports, and medical gender-transition treatments for minors further highlights waning support.
Some transgender advocates acknowledge that their movement’s hardline tactics have backfired. Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of Advocates for Transgender Equality, admitted to the *New York Times* that vilifying critics and enforcing rigid ideological compliance is counterproductive.
“We have to make it OK for someone to change their minds,” Heng-Lehtinen said. “We cannot vilify them for not being on our side. No one wants to join that team.”
Critics within the movement point to excessive demands, such as removing gender distinctions in childbirth discussions, labeling accidental misgendering as violence, and obsessing over pronoun usage. “No one wants to feel stupid or condescended to,” Heng-Lehtinen acknowledged.
The Democrats’ post-election reckoning has further exposed how these issues have cost them support. The Trump campaign weaponized Vice President Kamala Harris’s prior advocacy for taxpayer-funded gender surgeries for prisoners, branding her policies as disconnected from everyday Americans. One of Trump’s most effective slogans during the campaign drew a sharp contrast: “Kamala is for they/them. I am for you.”
Even some Democrats are beginning to distance themselves from extreme transgender activism. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) openly criticized his party’s embrace of pronoun mandates and raised safety concerns about biological males competing against women in sports. His comments were met with backlash from trans activists, but they struck a chord with voters frustrated by the party’s focus on divisive cultural issues.
Mara Keisling, founder of the National Center for Transgender Equality, admitted that activists have squandered goodwill by focusing on polarizing battles. The demonization of “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling and the dismissal of legitimate concerns about fairness and safety in women’s sports are prime examples.
“We looked unreasonable,” Keisling told the *Times*, acknowledging that Americans have largely shifted away from sympathizing with the movement. “We should be talking about the 7-year-old who just wants to play soccer with her friends.”
As the movement grapples with its diminishing support, some advocates are calling for a return to reasonable dialogue and a focus on unifying issues. However, the damage inflicted by years of divisive tactics may be difficult to undo.
For many Americans, the message is clear: common sense and fairness must guide the conversation, not radical demands that undermine cultural and biological realities. The question is whether transgender activists will listen before they alienate even more of the public.
