A majority of Americans support allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice, a new CNN/ORC poll found.
According to the survey, 57 percent of respondents oppose laws that require transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their gender at birth, while 38 percent support such laws. Republicans are evenly divided on the issue, with 48 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed.
The national survey is the first to explore this issue since North Carolina approved House Bill 2, a controversial law that, among other things, prohibits transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice in government buildings, including schools.
Instead of setting the law aside, North Carolina Republican leaders decided this week to sue the federal government, claiming that the Justice Department's determination that the law violates the Civil Rights Act is unfounded. The agency responded by suing the state of North Carolina.
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Pollsters also found that three-quarters of Americans favor laws that guarantee equal protection for transgender people.