SLU/YouGov Analysis: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Schools

by Ashley Donaldson Burle on 08/23/2023

08/23/2023

SLU's Ashley Donaldson Burle provides expert analysis on the latest SLU/YouGov poll results as they pertain to gender identity in schools.

A law banning public and private school officials from providing sexually explicit material to students went into effect in August 2022, prompting nearly 300 books to be removed from school libraries (EdWeek, November 2022; KMOV, August 2022). The law — an amendment to SB 775 — describes sexually explicit material as depictions of sex acts or genitalia with some exceptions for artistic and scientific resources (Missouri Senate, August 2022; NPR, August 2022). School officials who violate the law face up to a year in prison and a $2,000 fine (KMOV, August 2022). The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit against the state of Missouri in February, arguing the law forces staff to choose between students’ First Amendment rights and prosecution (Kansas City Public Radio, February 2023).

There has been a movement nationally to increase efforts to remove books from schools since 2021, especially those that represent the voices and experiences of traditionally marginalized and underrepresented communities (American Library Association, August 2022). This trend rings true in the St. Louis region, as most of the books removed were written by or about LGBTQ+ individuals or individuals of color (St. Louis Public Radio, 2022).

Likely voters' responses to 'Do you favor or oppose public schools being allowed to: ban books with stories about gay or lesbian youth?': 33% Favor, 54% Oppose, and 13% Not Sure. Democratic voters' responses: ' 7% Favor, 85% Oppose, and 8% Not Sure. Republican voters' responses: 61% Favor, 26% Oppose, and 14% Not Sure.

School libraries may be removing books from shelves, but the August 2023 SLU/YouGov Poll found that only 33% of Missouri voters favor banning “books with stories about gay or lesbian youth” from public schools, and only 38% favored banning “books with stories about transgender youth.” Results indicate a strong partisan divide. Sixty-one percent of Republicans favor banning books with stories about gay or lesbian youth, while 7% of Democrats indicated the same. Similarly, 64% of Republicans favor banning books with stories about transgender youth, 10% of Democrats agree. Overall, these results may show that Missouri voters may not oppose this issue as much as Republican lawmakers.

Discussion of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues in Schools

Similar to the “Don’t Say Gay” bills adopted in Florida, the Missouri legislature also considered a ban on teaching sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools this session (SB 134/HB 634). Some argued that the Missouri versions of “Don’t Say Gay” were stricter than the legislation in Florida, but neither the House nor Senate versions of the bill made it to the floor for a vote.

When asked whether public schools should discuss issues of sexual orientation or gender identity with students, majorities of Missouri voters were comfortable having these issues discussed with high school students but less comfortable with younger students. Fifty-six percent of voters favor allowing public schools to discuss sexual orientation issues with high school students. However, only 18% favor allowing such discussions in elementary schools, and 38% favor such discussions in middle schools.

Likely voters’ responses to ‘Do you favor or oppose public schools being allowed to: discuss sexual orientation issues with students in elementary schools?’: 18% Favor, 69% Oppose, and 12% Not Sure. Likely voters’ responses to ‘Do you favor or oppose public schools being allowed to: discuss sexual orientation issues with students in middle schools?’: 38% Favor, 54% Oppose, and 8% Not Sure. Likely voters’ responses to ‘Do you favor or oppose public schools being allowed to: discuss sexual orientation issues with students in high schools?’: 56% Favor, 35% Oppose, and 9% Not Sure.

Findings are similar when asking Missouri voters if public schools should discuss gender identity issues with public school students. Fifty-one percent of voters favor public schools being allowed to discuss gender identity issues with students in high school, but only 19% and 34% of voters favor allowing such discussions in elementary and middle schools.

Likely voters’ responses to ‘Do you favor or oppose public schools being allowed to: discuss gender identity issues with students in elementary schools?’: 19% Favor, 71% Oppose, and 10% Not Sure. Likely voters’ responses to ‘Do you favor or oppose public schools being allowed to: discuss gender identity issues with students in middle schools?’: 34% Favor, 59% Oppose, and 6% Not Sure. Likely voters’ responses to ‘Do you favor or oppose public schools being allowed to: discuss gender identity issues with students in high schools?’: 51% Favor, 40% Oppose, and 9% Not Sure.

A key takeaway from the overall results is that most Missouri voters support discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity once students enter high school, which indicates an incongruence with the legislation proposed during the spring 2023 session. Future legislation should consider voters’ opinions, which favor these discussions at the high school level, and work to find a compromise.

Transgender Athletes

Governor Parson signed legislation (SB 39) into law this June banning transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams from Kindergarten through college (Springfield News-Leader, June 2023). Under the law, both public and private schools face losing all state funding for any violations.

The August SLU/YouGov poll found that two-thirds of Missourians oppose transgender athletes playing on teams that match gender identity, indicating an overall alignment with the law recently passed. Views on this issue indicated a partisan divide, similar to views on other LGBTQ+ issues. Nearly all Republicans opposed (95%) transgender student athletes playing on teams that match gender identity, while only 29% of Democrats opposed. This result was comparable to previous findings of the February SLU/YouGov Poll.

Likely voters' responses to 'Do you favor or oppose the following policies: Allowing transgender student athletes to play on sports teams that match their gender identity, rather than the gender they were assigned at birth.': 18% Favor, 67% Oppose, and 15% Not Sure. Democratic voters' responses: ' 41% Favor, 29% Oppose, and 30% Not Sure. Republican voters' responses: 2% Favor, 95% Oppose, and 2% Not Sure.

This analysis is based on data from the August 2023 SLU/YouGov poll and reflects the opinion of the author.