Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE

Dictionary searches for 'transgender' spiked 630% after Obama told schools to relax bathroom policies

On Thursday May 12, President Obama announced that all public schools should allow transgender students to use whichever bathrooms they prefer. 

Advertisement

He was addressing an ongoing fight between the state of North Carolina, which recently made it illegal for transgender people to use the bathroom they identify with, and the federal government, which claimed the law violated the Civil Rights Act and was therefore unconstitutional.

transgender bathroom sign
Jonathan Drake/Reuters

Some people still needed to play catch-up, however.

Search data from Merriam-Webster's online dictionary showed search traffic for "transgender" rose by 630% in the wake of Obama's announcement.

Despite the word being in circulation since 1970, entire portions of the US were still in the dark about what constitutes a transgender person.

Advertisement

"In the broadest use of the word," the online dictionary states, "someone who is transgender has a gender identity that differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth."

Obama's announcement focused specifically on a letter he was crafting with the Departments of Education and Justice, which together they sent to public schools on Friday.

According to the New York Times, the letter doesn't have direct legal power, but contains "an implicit threat" in that schools that don't cooperate with the argument made by the Administration's reading of the Civil Rights Act may risk lawsuits or the loss of federal funding. 

The surge of online searches seems to offer a glimpse into the portion of the US for whom issues of gender identity have yet to reach.

Advertisement

Research suggests those users are most likely in the middle third of the country.

One recent Pew survey, for instance, found 46% of consistent liberals say they'd prefer to live in cities, while only 4% of conservatives said the same.

Transgender Education
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account