Americans are rapidly turning against trans and non-binary pronouns, a poll shows.
Pollsters found a double-digit drop in support for schools that require people to use a student’s preferred pronouns in just two years.
The survey, by the religious liberties group Becket, shows falling support for people directing others when to say ‘he,’ ‘she,’ ‘they,’ or even ‘ve,’ and ‘zie.’
It comes amid rows between parents, teachers, and students about whether children should be allowed to change their gender identities at school.
Mark Rienzi, Becket’s president, said the poll showed parents want more say over classroom rules.
‘Parents want schools to teach their children math and science, not force them to embrace controversial gender ideology,’ Rienzi said.
The survey of 1,000 US adults late last year showed a rapid shift in attitudes.
In 2021, most Americans — 54 percent of them — backed schools requiring the use of preferred pronouns.
That fell to 43 percent last year.
Over those years, the share of people who opposed the policies climbed 12 percentage points, from 46 percent in 2021 to 58 percent in 2023.
The biggest change was among people aged between 25 and 44 — those most likely to have kids in school, Becket said.
The only group that currently supports pronoun policies now is aged 18-24, researchers added.
Parents of students at Columbus City Schools, in Ohio, are currently rowing with teachers over their pronouns policy.
An advocacy group, Parents Defending Education, says kids there can change their gender identity in class without their parents finding out about it.
Alex Nester, one of the group’s investigators, said teachers were ‘trying to subvert parental authority,’ according to local reports.
A Pennsylvania mom who was worried about her child’s transgender identity this month sued her Pennsylvania school after teachers refused to let her know if the minor was using different pronouns in class.
The mother, known only as Jane Doe, sued the Pine-Richland School District, in suburban Pittsburgh, for policies that prevent staff from letting parents know if children are transitioning at school.
It’s the latest in a series of lawsuits aimed at the doctors, hospitals, teachers, schools, and therapists who help and in some cases encourage kids who identify as anything other than their biological sex.
Whether or not children are mature enough to make decisions about gender transitions is a hot button issue in America’s culture wars.
Transgender activists say young people are best placed to say whether they feel male, female, or non-binary.
Parents, teachers, and medical experts have a duty to affirm them, by using preferred pronouns, changing how they dress, and even by getting access to cross-sex-hormones and surgery, they say.
But critics warn of growing numbers of young people getting radicalized by peers and online trans influencers into making medical decisions they could later regret.
TikTok videos in recent month showcase this trend.
Teacher Robi, a non-binary art teacher, has shared a video of an introductory class, in which they ask students to refer to them with ‘they/them’ pronouns.
Other influencers explain how to use new-wave neopronouns, such as ‘ze’ and ‘zir,’ which do not express a gender.
Critics have complained that using preferred pronouns can be confusing and awkward.
The non-binary singer Demi Lovato last year reverted to she/her pronouns, saying she was tired of having to explain her previous preference for they/them.
