LGBTQ+ Rights Polling 2026: Marriage Equality, Trans Rights & the Trump Rollbacks

The shift in American opinion on same-sex marriage is one of the fastest attitude changes on a major social issue in the history of modern polling. From below one-third support in 2004 to nearly seven-in-ten by 2024 — in a single generation. Support has held steady since Obergefell (2015), suggesting the legal settlement has become durable in public opinion as well.

Source: Gallup annual survey, 2004–2024.

Unlike same-sex marriage, polling on transgender rights shows a public more closely divided — with sharp partisan and generational splits. Several specific policy questions are near 50/50:

Sources: Gallup 2024, Pew Research Center, PRRI American Values Survey.

On gender-affirming care for minors, the partisan gap is among the widest seen on any social issue in recent polling — a 48-point gap between the parties:

A 48-point partisan gap — one of the largest of any social issue tracked. Source: Pew Research Center, 2024.

On his first day back in office, President Trump signed a series of executive orders that directly targeted LGBTQ+ policy — among the most sweeping LGBTQ+-related executive actions in American history:

• "Two sexes" policy: An executive order established that the federal government recognizes only two sexes — male and female — as biological and immutable. Federal agencies were directed to update all forms, documents, and policies accordingly. The order affected passports, official identification, and federal statistics.
• Military transgender ban: Trump reinstated the ban on transgender service members that he had enacted in his first term and Biden had reversed. The Pentagon was directed to end transgender service within 30 days. Legal challenges were immediately filed.
• DEI rollbacks: Multiple executive orders eliminated DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) offices and programs across the federal government, private contractors, and federal grant recipients. The orders covered both racial and gender-related DEI initiatives, affecting thousands of federal employees and contractors.
• Title IX changes: Biden's 2024 Title IX regulations extending protections to transgender students were revoked, returning to a sex-as-biology interpretation of the education civil rights law.
• Gender-affirming care federal restriction: Federal health agencies were directed to end coverage for and access to gender-affirming care for minors in federal facilities and programs. The orders conflicted with state laws in California, Illinois, New York, and other Democratic-governed states that have enacted protections for trans minors.

As of 2026, dozens of federal lawsuits were challenging various components of these orders. Courts had granted preliminary injunctions blocking enforcement of some provisions, creating a complex, state-by-state legal landscape.

The gap between younger and older Americans on LGBTQ+ issues is among the largest generational divides in contemporary polling — and has profound implications for how these issues will evolve politically:

• Self-identification: Gallup found that approximately 7.6% of American adults identify as LGBTQ+ overall — but among Gen Z (born 1997-2012), the figure exceeds 20%. This is partly generational shift in identity, partly increased willingness to identify openly. Among Baby Boomers, the figure is around 2.5%.
• Familiarity: Younger Americans are far more likely to personally know LGBTQ+ people, including transgender individuals. Social science research consistently shows that personal familiarity is the strongest predictor of positive attitudes toward LGBTQ+ rights.
• Trans rights specifically: While same-sex marriage support is high across generations (though higher among younger Americans), trans rights show a sharper generational divide. Gen Z and Millennials are significantly more supportive of trans inclusion; Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation are more likely to express opposition.
• Political implications: As younger cohorts enter the electorate in larger numbers and older cohorts decline, the generational math tends to favor expanding LGBTQ+ rights in polling terms. However, the political salience of the issue — particularly trans issues — may increase short-term polarization even as long-term trends move in one direction.

Since 2023, Republican-controlled state legislatures have passed more LGBTQ+-restricting legislation than in any comparable period since the post-Obergefell backlash. The wave has focused overwhelmingly on transgender issues rather than same-sex marriage:

• Gender-affirming care bans: More than 20 states have enacted bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical procedures. These laws vary in scope and enforcement mechanisms.
• Sports bans: Dozens of states have enacted laws barring transgender girls and women from competing in female sports categories in schools and universities. The laws apply primarily to K-12 schools and colleges receiving state funding.
• Bathroom bills: Multiple states have enacted or attempted to enact laws requiring individuals to use bathrooms corresponding to their birth sex in government buildings, schools, and sometimes private businesses.
• Parental notification laws: Several states require schools to notify parents if a child uses a different name or pronouns at school — laws LGBTQ+ advocates characterize as "forced outing" policies that put at-risk youth in danger.
• Book bans and curriculum restrictions: Dozens of states have enacted curriculum restrictions limiting discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in K-12 education, sometimes extending to public libraries.

55% of Americans oppose banning gender-affirming care for minors nationally — but state-level Republican majorities have proceeded regardless, calculating that the issue energizes their base more than it alienates swing voters in non-competitive districts.