FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Monday, November 28, 2016

Contact: Paige Velasquez

paige@danpatrick.org

Data Show Texans Broadly Support Womens Privacy Legislation

HOUSTON - A number of public polling surveys over the past year have found that
Texans support proposals by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and other Republicans to
restrict the use of women's restrooms, locker rooms and showers to women. In a
recent survey commissioned by Texans for Dan Patrick that drilled down on those
attitudes, the data revealed that a majority of Texas voters, including men and
women, Democrats and Republicans, urban/suburban and rural dwellers and every
racial and ethnic group, agree that use of public restrooms should be restricted by
gender.
Specifically, when Texans were asked if elementary, middle school or high school
girls should be forced to use the same restrooms, lockers or showers at the same
time as boys, 77 percent of Texans voters said no. This view is held by equal
numbers of men and women and by all racial and ethnic groups. Opposition to boys
and girls sharing bathrooms in public schools is highest among African-American,
86 percent of whom are opposed.
Sixty-nine percent (69%) of all Texas voters believe it should be illegal for a man to
enter a women's restroom. That includes 56 percent of Democrats. There is little
difference in response to this question between male and female voters, and very
little difference among African-American and Hispanics. Just one in five (21 percent)
oppose this proposal. Opponents are primarily Anglos who identify themselves as
liberals.
When Texans were told that some businesses believe legislation prohibiting men
from using women's bathrooms might look discriminatory and could hurt
businesses, opinions do not change substantially as 68 percent still support the
proposed law to prohibit men from entering a public womens shower, locker room
or restroom.
Finally, when informed that some college sports organizations and professional
sports groups might boycott Texas if the state passed a law prohibiting men from
entering women's restrooms, almost half (46 percent) of Texas voters said they

pd pol ad | Texans for Dan Patrick | www.DanPatrick.org

would boycott the organizations by stopping watching their televised games or

purchasing their merchandise.
The poll was conducted by Baselice & Associates from November 1 - 4, 2016 shortly
after several Texas business groups announced opposition to restricting access to
women's restrooms because they fear retaliation from national organizations that
have threatened to boycott states that do not allow men to go into women's
restrooms if they want to. A summary of key findings is posted at http://bit.ly/2gPzrhT.
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