Most women are in favour of trans people self-identifying as a gender other than which they were assigned at birth, according to a new poll.
The survey, conducted by YouGov for PinkNews, found that out of 1,677 UK adults, 57% of women surveyed supported self-ID for trans people, compared with 43% of men.
As a whole, 50% of the UK population were in favour of trans people self-identifying – a drop from 57% in 2019.
Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they opposed the issue, while 23% said they did not know how they felt about trans people being able to self-identify.
PinkNews said the poll showed the majority of women believe trans people should be able to self-identify as their chosen gender despite the “ferocious efforts of anti-trans activists trying to conflate the progress of trans rights with a threat to women’s rights.”
Vic Parsons, PinkNews’ gender and identity reporter, described the latest poll findings as “somewhat of a relief”.
They said: “Transgender and non-binary people know that we are who we say we are.
“Public support for self-identification doesn’t change this – but it is still somewhat of a relief, given the horrifying levels of anti-trans rhetoric in the media, to see that a clear majority of the public back us continuing to self-identify as who we are without the need for medical evidence of our transness.”
The findings could help boost support for trans rights groups campaigning for reform of the Gender Recognition Act (GRA).
In June, leaked plans showed the government planning to abandon reforms to the act. The leak, first reported in the Sunday Times, stated that ministers have “ditched” plans to allow trans people to change their birth certificates without a medical diagnosis.
Currently under the GRA, trans people must undergo a long process in order to change their birth certificates. For this reason, many do not and instead rely on the protection of the Equality Act 2010.
Amnesty International said the U-turn would “send a chilling message that the UK is a hostile place for trans people” and send the nation plummeting down the LGBTQ equality rankings.
PinkNews’ chief executive, Benjamin Cohen, added: “Despite all of the negative coverage on trans issues in the mainstream media over the past year, it is reassuring to see that the majority of the population still agree with the rights of a person to self-identify their defined gender.
“The fact that most women support these rights, once again proves that the rights of trans people and women are not in conflict.”