More bad news for the trans activist science deniers yesterday in the form of the latest poll from Rasmussen Reports. They put a four-question survey out in the field asking some questions that virtually no one would have even bothered asking only a decade ago. The first question was just about as basic as one could imagine. ‘Do you agree or disagree with this statement: “There are two genders, male and female”?’ 71% agreed with the statement, including 57% who “strongly” agreed. That included 57% of Democrats. And the news didn’t get any better for the trans activists with the other three questions either.

By a 3-to-1 margin, Americans believe there are only two genders, and a majority support laws against transgender treatment for minors.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 71% of American Adults agree with the statement that “there are two genders, male and female,” including 57% who Strongly Agree. Twenty-three percent (23%) disagree, including 10% who Strongly Disagree. These findings are just slightly changed from December 2021, when Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling sparked controversy by criticizing transgender ideology.

The trans agenda didn’t fare much better on the rest of the questions. One of them asked if people approved of laws banning sex-chang surgery for children. 62% agreed. A slightly smaller 59% agreed with laws that ban hormone replacement therapy for children.

Before anyone starts celebrating the results of this poll too heartily, we shouldn’t lose sight of the flip side of this coin. 23% of respondents said they disagreed with the statement in the opening question. That’s nearly one-quarter of the country. As of last year, more than 91% of Americans had at least a high school diploma, so it’s not as if a quarter of the country hasn’t taken basic biology.

But should we really believe that 23% figure? Are they saying that because they honestly believe in some complex array of genders or are they just saying it because they’ve been trained to say it and fear being accused of transphobia and being canceled by the woke mob? No poll is going to be able to accurately answer that question, but I have my suspicions. I completely understand a natural impulse among some people to smile and nod their heads when some guy in a dress declares that he’s a woman. What’s the point in being rude when you’re never going to change the person’s mind anyway? And unless you happen to be a mental health professional, it’s really not your job to try to straighten them out. But being polite isn’t the same thing as actually agreeing.

Even with all of that said, there is still at least some reason to feel a bit of optimism after reading these poll results. 71% is an impressive number when discussing nearly any contentious issue in America today. And that means that almost three-quarters of your fellow citizens haven’t completely lost their minds. But with that much of a majority still believing in actual science, we are still left with some worrisome questions raised by John Hinderaker at Powerline.

How can a small minority successfully bully the large majority? Why does corporate America sign on with a dissident and often unstable fringe? Why is it that normal people, not those with extreme views, are afraid to express their opinions for fear of damaging their careers? The answers to those questions hold the key to understanding politics in our current bizarre moment.

I wish I had some answers to those questions. But I don’t.