A new analysis has found that in areas with high Republican support—particularly those that have supported the current wave of anti-trans laws—the search volume for transgender porn is also exceptionally high.
The analysis comes from Lawsuit.org, who researched Google search trend data between June 1 to 19, 2022, segmented the search volume results by metro area, and compared this to voting patterns during the 2020 election and public opinion polls on LGBTQ+ rights.
According to Ahrefs.com, there are 4.7 million searches for trans-related porn each month. Lawsuit.org found that the top twenty states in the nation with the highest volume of searches for trans porn were all (except 5) red states in 2020. Texas, where Gov. Abbott’s directive seemingly began the wave of anti-trans legislation earlier this year, scored number 1.
In addition to looking at geographic distribution, the researchers plotted the data using linear regression trend lines. These graphs show a (literal) left-to-right correlation between the popularity of trans porn and political conservatism.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
To look beyond the blue/red divide and compare the data with specific anti-queer sentiment, the group referenced data from the American Values Atlas, an organization that surveys Americans on social and religious attitudes.
The survey question they examined specifically was: “Do you support religiously based refusals to serve gay and lesbian people?” The researchers explain, “We felt this survey question was a decent proxy for baseline LGBT prejudice, though we recognize some may support the question on Libertarian or Personal freedom grounds that do not have to do with the specific demographics of others.”
The resulting graph also shows a correlation between supporting discrimination against LGBTQ+ businesses and a high volume of trans porn searches.
According to the HRC, there have been more than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced this year, the majority of them in red states. These have disproportionately attacked the transgender community. Some supporters of these measures have been caught up in scandals involving trans porn, including Alabama State Sen. Tom Whatley and queerphobic radio host Alex Jones. No one of course is knocking their porn preferences: it’s the hypocrisy we find unsurprising and exhausting.