A new poll shows Florida is divided on which bathrooms transgenders should use but against the idea of forcing public schools to allow transgendered students to use the bathrooms of the gender they identify with.
"The issue of transgender people and the use of public bathrooms finds voters split on exactly what should be done," said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, on Thursday.
Asked if transgenders should be allowed to use the bathrooms of the gender they identify with, 48 percent of Floridians say yes while 44 percent are against the idea. There’s a major partisan gap on the matter with 27 percent of Republicans saying yes and 63 percent against it. Democrats go the opposite direction with 68 percent of them supporting transgenders using bathrooms of the gender they identify with while 28 percent are against it. Voters outside the major parties are more divided with 48 percent of them supporting transgenders using bathrooms of the gender they identify with while 42 percent are against it.
The poll finds other major divides in Florida on this matter. Whites, voters younger than 50 and women generally support allowing transgenders to use bathrooms of the gender they identify with while non-whites, males and older voters break the other way.
But Florida voters are against a bathroom mandate on public schools with a majority--54 percent--opposed to the idea while 37 percent support the idea. Republicans, voters outside the major parties, voters 35 and older, males and both whites and non-whites stand against the idea. Democrats and voters younger than 35 are far more supportive. Female voters are more divided with 44 percent supporting a mandate on public schools over bathroom policies while 47 percent are against it.
The poll of 975 Florida voters was taken from June 8-June 19 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.
