A new survey commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation has found that a clear majority of Americans support equality and legal protections for transgender people, with a majority backing recorded across a wide range of demographic groups, including Republicans.
The findings were released to mark International Transgender Day of Visibility, at a time when trans people in the United States continue to face intense political pressure and a growing wave of hostile legislation. In Idaho, for example, Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 752 into law on 31 March 2026, creating criminal penalties for transgender people who use bathrooms or changing rooms that align with their gender identity in many public and private settings.
According to HRC, support for trans equality was broad across party affiliation, race, ethnicity and gender, with more than half of Republicans backing each of the measures tested. The organisation said the results suggest support for “basic fairness” remains strong even in a deeply polarised political climate.
The survey also highlighted the role of personal connection. Among those surveyed, 41% said they know someone who is transgender, while 27% said they speak with a transgender person regularly. Researchers found that people with direct contact were consistently more likely to support equality and protections for trans people.
The findings suggest public attitudes may be more supportive than political rhetoric often implies, with majority support recorded across major political and demographic groups. According to the figures cited by HRC, 76% of Republicans either agreed or strongly agreed that trans people deserve equal rights, while that figure rose to 92% among Democrats.
In response to the data, HRC said: “These survey results point to two clear conclusions. First, support for transgender equality is already broad across the country. Second, personal connection matters: people who know transgender people—and especially those who speak with them regularly—are even more likely to support equal treatment and protections.”
The organisation added: “For Transgender Day of Visibility, that finding carries a simple message: visibility matters, and so does connection. The more transgender people are known not as abstractions, but as friends, family members, coworkers, classmates, and neighbours, the stronger public support for equality becomes.”
