This story originally appeared on The Advocate.
After years of Republican attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, especially transgender rights, a new poll finds that most likely voters still prefer candidates who support LGBTQ+ people over those who oppose them.
The survey from Data for Progress, released Friday and shared exclusively with The Advocate, found that 51 percent of likely voters said they were most likely to vote for a candidate who vocally supports LGBTQ+ rights. Thirty-two percent said they would prefer a candidate who vocally opposes LGBTQ+ rights, and 16 percent said they did not know.
The finding does not mean the country is moving steadily toward greater acceptance. Earlier this month, The Advocate reported on Gallup polling showing that support for LGBTQ+ rights has dropped from recent highs. Gallup found that 65 percent of U.S. adults say same-sex marriages should be legal, down from 71 percent in 2022 and 2023. Gallup also found that 62 percent of Americans say gay or lesbian relations are morally acceptable, the lowest level since 2016, and that 38 percent say affirming one’s gender is morally acceptable.
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But the Data for Progress poll shows that LGBTQ+ issues are not voters’ top priority — only 1 percent of likely voters named them as the issue they consider most when choosing a candidate — but when voters were asked directly whether they preferred a candidate who supports LGBTQ+ rights or one who opposes them, most chose the pro-LGBTQ+ candidate.
Republicans have spent years trying to turn LGBTQ+ rights into a political weapon. Data for Progress notes that President Donald Trump and Republican candidates spent at least $215 million on television ads attacking Democrats on trans issues manufactured by the right during the 2024 election cycle. Since returning to office, Trump has not formally recognized Pride Month, as he did during his first term, while several Republican-led states have designated June as “Nuclear Family Month.”
The political stakes are mirrored in the marketplace. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation found this week that LGBTQ+ consumers are watching how companies respond to the current political climate and spending accordingly. According to HRC, 71.5 percent of LGBTQ+ consumers said they are buying fewer products from companies perceived as reducing inclusion commitments, while 69.5 percent said they are increasing spending with businesses they view as supportive. “Consumers are rewarding companies they see stand by their values and turning away from those who retreat under pressure,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.
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The Data for Progress survey found that 76 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who vocally supports LGBTQ+ rights. Among Republicans, 61 percent said they preferred a candidate who vocally opposes LGBTQ+ rights, while 25 percent said they preferred one who supports them.
The biggest difference showed up among voters who personally know someone who is transgender. Among those voters, 64 percent said they preferred a candidate who vocally supports LGBTQ+ rights. Twenty-three percent said they preferred a candidate who opposes them.
The poll also found majority support for several LGBTQ+ policies focused on youth safety, mental health, veterans, and families.
Sixty-three percent of likely voters said they support encouraging school districts to adopt anti-bullying and harassment policies that protect LGBTQ+ students. Sixty-two percent support investing in mental health services for LGBTQ+ students. And 61 percent support restoring federal funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s specialized crisis services for LGBTQ+ youth.
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Last week, The Advocate was first to report that the Trump administration says it is working to restore those specialized services by the end of the year, nearly a year after shutting them down. The service, known as “Press 3,” was created to connect LGBTQ+ young people with trained crisis counselors. But the administration has also said any restoration must comply with Trump’s Executive Order 14168, which directs federal agencies to recognize only two sexes and rejects federal recognition of transgender identities.
Data for Progress also found that 58 percent of likely voters support granting Veterans Affairs benefits to former service members who were discharged for being LGBTQ+. That finding comes as The Advocate reported last week that the Department of Veterans Affairs ordered health facilities nationwide to eliminate gender identity-based initiatives and strip the LGBTQ+ designation from a network of medical coordinators created to help LGBTQ+ veterans navigate care. According to an internal June 12 memorandum obtained by The Advocate, LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinators are to be redesignated simply as Care Coordinators.
The survey also found that 57 percent of likely voters support prohibiting discrimination against prospective LGBTQ+ parents in adoption and foster care, and 52 percent support investing in housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ+ youth.
