This finding represents a rise of 17 percentage points from a February 2025 survey in which 56% of adults favored policies protecting transgender people from discrimination in jobs, housing, and public spaces. In that earlier poll of 5,097 U.S. adults, 66% favored laws or policies requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams matching their sex assigned at birth.

Racial and ethnic breakdowns showed majority discomfort across all groups surveyed. In the November 2025 Pew Research Center survey, 75% of White adults said they were uncomfortable with transgender athletes competing on teams that do not match their sex at birth. Sixty-eight percent of Black adults and 68% of Asian adults reported being uncomfortable, as did 67% of Hispanic adults. Among LGBTQ adults, 34% said they were uncomfortable with the practice.

The survey also asked respondents about their views on gender identity itself. In the November 2025 Pew Research Center survey, 66% of respondents agreed with the statement that whether someone is a man or a woman is determined from their sex at birth. Thirty-one percent of respondents agreed with the statement that someone can be a man or a woman even if that is different from their sex at birth.

These public opinion findings follow a June ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that states can restrict transgender women and girls from participating in women’s and girls’ sports. The court unanimously rejected the Title IX claim in West Virginia v. B.P.J. a case involving a transgender teenager who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria at age nine and began taking puberty-blocking hormones at age 10.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion in West Virginia v. B.P.J. in which the court split 6-3 on whether the West Virginia law violated equal protection. "Based on all of the above, the States argue—and we agree—that the interests in safety and competitive fairness are important for purposes of equal protection analysis," he wrote. He added that the states' sex-based classification limiting women's and girls' sports to biological females is substantially related to those interests.

"Therefore, schools may maintain women’s and girls’ sports for biological females," he wrote. Justice Sonia Sotomayor addressed the factual disputes in her response. The legal landscape remains mixed across the country.

More than 20 states allow transgender athletes to participate on sports teams that match their gender identity. Voters in Colorado and Washington will decide whether to adopt bans on transgender athletes through ballot measures.

Why It Matters

The Supreme Court's June ruling permitting states to restrict transgender athletes aligns with November 2025 survey data showing 73% of U.S. adults are uncomfortable with transgender individuals competing on teams not matching their sex at birth. This majority view spans racial groups and includes 55% of Democrats, suggesting broad public backing for the legal precedent set in West Virginia v. B.P.J. Consequently, upcoming ballot measures in Colorado and Washington reflect a national shift where more than 20 states currently allowing participation face potential policy reversals.