Jersey Eagleton Poll says 54 % believe trans children experience frequent abuse, familial rejection, harassment
According to a new poll from the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University — New Brunswick, the majority of New Jerseyans help safeguarding the protection of transgender and intersex individuals. This confirms what many LGBTQ activists have said:” ]R ] esidents of the Garden State are in favor of policies that keep schools safe for LGBTQ+ youth”, said Garden State Equality ( GSE ) in a press release.
According to the poll conducted in December 2024, 54 % of New Jersey residents believe teachers should n’t be required to tell transgender students to their parents when they claim they do n’t feel safe coming out. 55 % of teachers think their parents should n’t feel the need to talk to a transgender or nonbinary student.
Nothing in the current direction, according to GSE, forbids school personnel from revealing a trans student’s identity to their parents if the student consents. We want parents and families to get involved in decisions that affect their children, just like everyone else.
However, homosexual and transsexual youth face incredibly high rates of household rejection and abandonment. According to the 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People, less than 40 % of LGBTQ young people found their homes to be affirming of their identities, and less than 40 % of LGBTQ young people reported that their homes were promoting their identity. According to the GSE, life is saved in healthy schools. More than half of LGBTQ youth said their class was a welcoming and welcoming environment, according to the Trevor Project poll. Those who did report making other suicide attempts at lower levels.
” We believe parents should know if their child identifies as LGBTQ+, but research shows time and again that if a young person is not telling their family, there is a reason”, said Lauren Albrecht ( she/her ), Director of Advocacy &, Organizing for GSE. According to the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling,” New Jerseyans understand and agree that guidelines that safeguard the privacy and security of transgender and intersex youth are necessary.”
According to the survey, the majority of New Jerseyans even appear to be aware of the harsh conditions that transgender and intersex children experience at home and in school. Almost four in five believe transgender children are neither “frequently” or “occasionally” bullied. Seven in 10 said trans children “frequently” or “occasionally” practice criticism from their people, while more than half said the same point about condemnation from instructors. 64 % said they believe transgender children “frequently” or “occasionally” practice physical abuse.
Almost half of those surveyed said they knew someone who is transgender and/or identified as trans themselves, according to the ballot. Those respondents were more likely than those who do n’t or are n’t to believe trans youth “frequently” experience bullying, disapproval, mental health issues, verbal harassment, and physical abuse. Transgender LGBQ+ participants were significantly more likely than their direct rivals to mention these dilemmas.
” This ballot comes at a time when the need for such plans could not be more necessary”, said Albrecht. Congressional attacks on the LGBTQ+ area are at an all-time high across the country and even here in the Garden State.
According to an analysis of FBI data obtained from the Washington Post, hate crimes in schools have more than quadrupled in states where laws restrict the rights of LGBTQ individuals and the acceptance of gay and trans people in knowledge. According to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, GSE reported that over the past few years, there have been more discrimination incidents against LGBTQ+ people in New Jersey as well as in New Jersey.
” Whether it’s implementing dangerous policies— or, as we’ve seen in New Jersey, rescinding recently unambiguous, research- backed ones — these damaging decisions are largely aimed at the most susceptible members of the community: queer and trans youth”, said Albrecht.
” Garden State Equality, just like a majority of New Jerseyans, believes in keeping schools secure for LGBTQ+ kids, and we will proceed working tirelessly to ensure gay and transgender children experience lived and legal equality in New Jersey”, said Albrecht.
