A new poll conducted by Scott Rasmussen for America’s New Majority Project indicates yet another area where progressive activists in the United States and the Democrats who seek to support that agenda through legislative means are seriously misreading the room. The survey collected responses from voters on the subject of transgender (“gender-affirming”) medical treatments of various sorts for minors and parental rights in that regard. Not only were large majorities strongly opposed to most of these procedures, but most felt that these “treatments” amounted to child abuse. The procedures and practices in question involved everything from mastectomies and genital mutilation to the administration of puberty blockers and changes in names and pronouns. And unlike the policies being pushed by the nation’s teachers’ unions and activists in the medical community, almost nobody believes that parents should be shut out of such decisions as they are applied to their children.

Americans have broad and intense opposition to elements of transgender ideology being a part of children’s school curriculum and experience and strongly support parental rights in education.

72% oppose schools teaching children they can change their gender (10% support, 18% not sure);

80% believe parents should be given advance notice of any such instruction and given the option to opt their children out (11% oppose, 9% not sure);

As I told Scott over the weekend, these numbers are in line with what many of us who have been beating this drum for a while now probably suspected. But seeing the figures laid out in this stark fashion really drives home the need for states to begin shutting this entire craze down, as Florida is preparing to do.

The indoctrination of children in the nation’s public schools, where “classes” inform kids that changing their gender is an option, is opposed by more than 70% of adults. Ony ten percent support such programs. Fully 80% feel that parents and guardians should always be informed in advance of any such school program and be given the right to opt their children out of it.

Almost three-quarters (73%) say that schools have a duty to promptly inform parents if their children are attempting to identify as being transgender. And if the school is encouraging children to “change their gender,” a strong majority (60%) believe that constitutes child abuse.

When it comes to the idea of gender-changing surgery or puberty blockers for children, 59% believe that those medical practices should be against the law and nearly as many describe such surgical procedures as child abuse. And as with the school programs described above, nearly three-quarters (73%) say none of this should ever happen without the parents’ awareness and consent.

If you find yourself nodding your head and saying “of course, that should be obvious,” you are obviously not alone. The real question is why more conservative candidates haven’t been out there on the stump demanding these sorts of reforms and demanding that their Democratic opponents take a stand on the question. The House already passed “the Equality Act” which would give “gender identity” the same protected status as race, religion, sexual orientation, and other demographic categories. It would also mandate that schools enforce gender-bending rules, including allowing male athletes to compete against girls and use their locker rooms and showers. The Senate is scheduled to take this bill up soon. Every member of Congress from both parties should be put on the record as to where they stand on this question. And the ones who support it should look over the numbers in this poll and begin planning a new career outside of government service.