A majority of Americans support
allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice, a
new CNN/ORC poll found.
According
to the survey, 57 percent of respondents oppose laws that require
transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their gender at
birth, while 38 percent support such laws. Republicans are evenly
divided on the issue, with 48 percent in favor and 48 percent
opposed.
The national survey is the first to
explore this issue since North Carolina approved House Bill 2, a
controversial law that, among other things, prohibits transgender
people from using the bathroom of their choice in government
buildings, including schools.
Instead of setting the law aside, North
Carolina Republican leaders decided this week to sue the federal
government, claiming that the Justice Department's determination that
the law violates the Civil Rights Act is unfounded. The agency
responded by suing the state of North Carolina.
(Related:
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory to defend anti-gay law in court; U.S.
sues.)
Pollsters also found that
three-quarters of Americans favor laws that guarantee equal
protection for transgender people.