The conversation among Democrats attempting to understand Donald Trump’s election victory has increasingly centered on the party’s stance on transgender rights. The prevailing narrative suggests that a majority of Americans oppose these rights, viewing them as excessive and alarming.
Concerns have been raised about the implications for families, such as fears of children transitioning or the presence of transgender women in bathrooms posing risks, along with worries about transgender athletes dominating girls’ sports.
However, this viewpoint is flawed. Democrats do not need to relinquish their commitment to transgender rights to achieve electoral success. In fact, when transgender rights are on the ballot, support for these issues often prevails.
Transgender rights win broad support despite polarized political narratives
A typical example occurred in Massachusetts in 2018, where voters decisively backed a measure to maintain nondiscrimination protections for transgender individuals, garnering nearly 68 percent of the vote even as a Republican governor won 70 percent on the same ballot.
Similar results were observed with a transgender rights question in New York this year, where it received more support than the politicians who claimed that the Democratic stance on these rights contributed to election losses.
What contributed to the success of the 2018 Massachusetts ballot measure? While opponents utilized fear-based messaging about transgender women in bathrooms, proponents engaged in targeted outreach aimed at moderate voters. The campaign focused on empathetic listening to voters’ concerns and providing factual responses. Rather than dismissing their fears or criticizing their misconceptions, the campaign clearly communicated its goals.
Campaign messengers included law enforcement officials and, crucially, transgender individuals who shared their personal experiences. It is challenging to oppose someone’s rights after having engaged with them on a human level.
Support for transgender rights extends beyond traditionally liberal areas like Massachusetts and New York. In Anchorage, Alaska, a 2018 ballot measure to maintain nondiscrimination protections for transgender individuals received 53 percent approval, with similar initiatives succeeding in conservative regions such as Idaho and Arkansas. Voters have a long history of backing rights for the LGBTQ community, dating back to the 1980s.
It’s important to acknowledge that while there have been victories, there have also been setbacks. The Anchorage measure was defeated just three years earlier, in 2015, and a comparable proposal was rejected in Houston during the same year.
The fight for same-sex marriage illustrates that electoral setbacks can be surmounted. In 2004, it was widely believed that Democratic support for marriage equality hindered their electoral chances.
Similarly, in 2008, California’s Proposition 8, which prohibited gay marriage, passed during a national election that favored Barack Obama and Democrats. Yet by the end of Obama’s presidency, gay marriage became legal and enjoyed public support. Today, LGBTQ voters constitute a vital part of the Democratic base.
Neglecting this crucial support would be a huge political error. To effectively respond to Republican critiques, Democrats must enlist the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender individuals, to convey their message, mirroring the approach taken in Massachusetts in 2018. This strategy is key to electoral success.
In the recent election, however, Democrats fell short. Republican advertisements like the notorious “Kamala is for they/them” flooded the campaign’s final days. Instead of countering these claims with a strong message in support of the transgender community, Democrats largely overlooked the issue. They failed to clarify that schools do not transition children, that women’s restrooms are safe, and that transgender girls have a right to compete in sports.
The issue at hand wasn’t necessarily a losing one for Democrats; rather, it was one that was neglected. Addressing concerns, whether they are based in fact or not, requires open dialogue. Democrats must have faith that voters will support transgender rights as long as they clearly express their own support for these rights first.
