Where the Republican Candidates Stand on Transgender Rights
The push to restrict transgender people’s lives has animated conservatives: States have outlawed transition care for children and in some cases restricted it for adults, limited transgender people’s participation in sports and the bathrooms they are allowed to use, restricted library books and classroom discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation, and more. Several presidential candidates have endorsed similar policies at the federal level and have employed rhetoric reminiscent of past anti-L.G.B.T.Q. campaigns.
Donald J. Trump
Former PresidentHe rolled back transgender rights while he was president, and he wants to go further.
I will immediately sign a new executive order
to cut federal funding
for any school pushing critical race theory
transgender insanity —
[applause]
and other inappropriate
racial, sexual or political content on our children.
I will keep men out of women’s sports.
I will sign a law prohibiting child sexual mutilation.
Nikki Haley
Former Governor of South Carolina Dropped outShe has framed transgender rights as a threat to women and has signed a pledge declaring “sex is binary.”
Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and former ambassador to the United Nations, has indicated multiple times that she believes transgender women and girls competing in women’s and girl’s sports is “the women’s issue of our time.” She also suggested on CNN that the presence of transgender girls in locker rooms was to blame for suicidal ideation among teenage girls, a claim no evidence supports.
Ron DeSantis
Governor of Florida Dropped outHe has sharply restricted transgender rights in Florida and embraced anti-transgender rhetoric.
What we have done, not just through our Board of Medicine,
but even now through statute,
we have prohibited puberty blockers and operations
on gender for minors.
It’s mutilation.
It’s wrong, and it has no place in our society.
And we need to step up and say this, and take action.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Entrepreneur Dropped outHe supports sweeping restrictions on transgender rights, and his rhetoric is hostile to transgender people.
Vivek Ramaswamy has falsely described being transgender as a mental illness and called it a “deluded and mentally deranged state” in a Breitbart News interview.
Asa Hutchinson
Former Governor of Arkansas Dropped outHe once notably broke with Republicans, but supports several restrictions on transgender rights.
What I believe in is that parents ought
to raise their children.
I believe that parents ought to be in control.
And I also believe in the Constitution.
I believe that God created two genders,
and that there should not be any confusion on your gender.
But if there is confusion, then parents
ought to be the one that guides the children.
That to me is an important, fundamental principle.
Chris Christie
Former Governor of New Jersey Dropped outHe has opposed some restrictions on transgender rights, citing the rights of parents.
“I don’t think that the government should ever be stepping into the place of the parents in helping to move their children through a process where those children are confused or concerned about their gender. … What I’d like to make sure each state does is require that parents be involved in these decisions.”
Doug Burgum
Governor of North Dakota Dropped outHe signed several anti-transgender laws in his state, and hasn’t ruled out federal laws.
As governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum signed at least eight bills restricting the rights of transgender or gender-nonconforming people in 2023, more than almost any other governor.
Tim Scott
Senator from South Carolina Dropped outHe supports limits on sports participation but has been silent on some other policies.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina introduced legislation in 2022 to cut funding from schools that use pronouns matching transgender students’ identities without informing their parents.
Mike Pence
Former Vice President Dropped outHe has a history of opposing L.G.B.T.Q. rights and has endorsed state restrictions on transgender people.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has praised state bans on transition care for minors and said in June that he would support a federal ban.
Will Hurd
Former United States Representative Dropped outHe has been supportive of transgender rights.
Former Representative Will Hurd of Texas has criticized other Republicans for their opposition to gay and transgender rights, including in a CNN interview in which he said he wished they would “focus their attacks on war criminals like Vladimir Putin, not my friends in the L.G.B.T.Q. community.”
Francis Suarez
Mayor of Miami Dropped outHe has been supportive of transgender rights, but many policy positions remain unknown.
Mayor Francis X. Suarez of Miami has expressed support for gay and transgender rights for years, including marching in Pride parades and endorsing equal protections in housing and employment. He also signed an ordinance that recognized L.G.B.T.Q. people’s contributions to Miami and designated their businesses as minority-owned, making them eligible for city benefits.