A social conservative’s guide.
A social conservative’s guide
H ow times have changed. Aside from abortion, in 2012, the defining social issue in the Republican presidential primaries was same-sex marriage. Few would have imagined that little more than a decade later the main culture-war issue would be transgenderism. Yet here we are. And given that we’re here, it’s worth taking a closer look at candidates’ positions on these issues.
From a social conservative’s perspective, the GOP candidates fall in three overlapping categories: Those with a proven policy record of resisting transgender ideology, those who talk a good game, and those who are rhetorically and politically unreliable.
Donald Trump
In his 2024 campaign, the former president has vowed to “defeat the cult of gender ideology to reassert that God created two genders: MALE and FEMALE!” Trump has described surgical transitions for minors as “child sexual mutilation” and has promised to issue a federal ban of such clinical practices.
The record of the 2016 Trump administration backs up his claims. It retracted Obama-era guidance redefining sex for the purposes of Title IX, clarified that any definition of sex needed to be determined “on a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable,” and worked to prevent males from competing in female sports.
Some have accused Trump of being personally unreliable on the issue. He has a history of socially liberal views, including his long-standing support of same-sex marriage. And in 2012, Trump supported the inclusion of trans-identifying men in beauty pageants, including the Miss Universe pageant.
In a recent interview with Megyn Kelly, Trump responded to these concerns, saying that “in the beginning, [transgenderism] was such a small subject, nobody really thought about it, but then with time you change.”
Verdict: proven record
Ron DeSantis
The Florida governor has similarly uncompromising rhetoric and a strong policy record. He signed a bill banning medicalized transitions for minors and increasing safeguards for adults undergoing cross-sex-hormone drugs and surgeries.
He passed the Parental Rights in Education Act, preventing the instruction of issues related to gender identity or sexual orientation to young children and requiring parental notification in cases in which a child requests to be treated as though they were of the opposite (or neither) sex at school.
Verdict: proven record
Mike Pence
As vice president in the Trump administration, Pence can take some of the credit for the policy victories of that era. In his 2024 campaign, he has said he would support a federal ban on medicalized transitions for minors and opposes the participation of male athletes in women’s sports.
Verdict: proven record
Tim Scott
In 2022, South Carolina senator Tim Scott introduced federal legislation that would defund schools that socially transition children (i.e., treat them as though they were something other than their sex) behind their parents’ backs.
He has said he would support a ban on male athletes in female sports. However, Scott has not yet specified whether he would support a federal ban on medicalized transitions for minors.
Verdict: proven record
Doug Burgum
The governor of North Dakota has said that the issue of transgenderism is best handled at the state level. He has signed bills banning medicalized gender transitions for minors, banning males from female sports, mandating parental notification if children identify as transgender at school, and allowing school personnel to refuse to use a student’s preferred pronouns.
The New York Times notes that Burgum also “vetoed a bill that would have gone further, mandating that schools ignore those pronouns for many trans students.”
Verdict: proven record
Vivek Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy, the Millennial biotech entrepreneur, has labeled his social agenda “anti-woke.” This approach extends to transgenderism. He tweeted: “Ban genital mutilation and puberty blockers before age 18. Treat gender dysphoria as a mental health disorder.” He has stated he is opposed to the use of federal funds for medicalized transitions for adults, and he supports a federal ban.
Verdict: talks a good game
Nikki Haley
The former governor of South Carolina supports a federal ban on medicalized gender transitions for minors. And she has denounced the participation of male athletes in female sports, calling this the “women’s issue of our time.” Haley has also aligned herself with the group Moms for Liberty, advocating for transparency in education.
Verdict: talks a good game
Chris Christie
Christie, former governor of New Jersey, opposes banning medicalized gender transitions for minors, arguing that doing so violates parental rights. “What I’d like to make sure each state does is require that parents be involved in these decisions,” Christie said.
And yet, as governor of New Jersey, he signed a bill mandating guidance by the state department of education that later instructed schools to allow students identifying as transgender to use facilities, participate in sports, and be addressed by pronouns contrary to their sex — all in the absence of parental notification and consent.
At the very least, Christie supports bans on male athletes in female supports.
Verdict: unreliable
Asa Hutchinson
In 2021, then-governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson vetoed a ban on medicalized gender transitions for minors. This bill, the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, was exemplary. But Hutchinson complained it went too far.
In July, during the Family Leadership Summit, former Fox TV host Tucker Carlson questioned Hutchinson on this decision. Like Christie, Hutchinson claimed that he was opposed to the bill because it “interfered with parents . . . managing the most sensitive issue that a parent can face.”
Still, the New York Times reports that he told the paper he “would support a federal ban on transition surgeries for minors,” as well as bans on the use of public funds for medicalized transition and on males in female sports.
Verdict: unreliable
Will Hurd
The former House representative from Texas was one of three Republicans to vote for the Equality Act in 2019, a bill that would have redefined sex to include “gender identity” in the Civil Rights Act and thereby demolish women’s rights to safety and privacy across the country.
Verdict: unreliable