Nearly 60%, according to a new poll from Reuters/Ipsos.

Yes, Most Americans Do Support Trans Troops in the Military

Despite the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to ban transgender Americans from serving in the U.S. military, a new poll suggests that more than half of Americans are in support of trans troops.

The poll, conducted online by Reuters and Ipsos between January 25, 2019, and February 16, 2019, surveyed more than 8,800 people across the country. Among respondents, 59% believed trans people should be eligible to serve.

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

Twenty-four percent disagreed, and of the 59% who backed trans service members, a whopping 67% said the military should be responsible for providing gender-affirming health care.

The poll also showed an unsurprising bipartisan split: Nearly 80% of Democrats said they were in favor of trans people serving, while only 38% of Republicans agreed. (Notably, that’s actually an increase from a previous poll, which put Republican support at a mere 32%.)

Of course, the results come after more than a year of back-and-forth on the controversial policy, first announced via tweet by the President in the summer of 2017. On January 22, 2019, a Supreme Court ruling allowed the Trump administration to start implementing the ban.

ICYMI: Last night, five courageous transgender active-duty service members testified before Congress in opposition to Trump's unjust #TransMilitaryBan. Learn more: https://t.co/8vH5y1iVFD — National Center for Transgender Equality (@TransEquality) February 28, 2019

Democrats in Congress have repeatedly condemned the policy as discriminatory. Just this Wednesday, a hearing before the Democratic-led House of Representatives Armed Services Committee included testimonies from five active duty transgender personnel, reports USA Today.

Army Staff Sgt. Patricia King, a trans woman who’s served as an infantry soldier for nearly 20 years and transitioned in 2015, told committee members that her fellow soldiers had two concerns, neither of which were related to her gender transition: “Can you do your job and accomplish your mission?”