Dana Juniel

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LGBTQ Equality Maps Updates and Bill Tracking for September 2025

In this rapidly changing landscape, MAP’s LGBTQ Equality Maps provide a detailed snapshot of the current state of LGBTQ laws and policies in the United States. See below for a listing of state and local level policy changes, plus MAP’s bill tracking and policy research updates, as of August 25, 2025.
▸▸ State Policy Updates
Ongoing developments with gender marker changes on identity documentsIn Kansas, residents’ ability to change the gender marker on their driver’s licensesremains contested. After a 2023 law was enacted defining “sex” throughout state law to enable discrimination against transgender people, the state’s attorney general successfully sued the state’s license-issuing agency to force them to stop issuing gender marker changes for transgender people — something the state had been permitting, without issue, since at least 2007.This June, a Kansas appeals court ruled that gender marker changes on driver’s licenses should resume, and that the state’s attorney general had failed to prove any harm would be caused by allowing such gender marker changes. But despite the court ruling, the state’s attorney general instructed the state’s licensing agency to continue to refuse to process gender marker changes while he appeals the ruling and the litigation continues.In Indiana, the state issued a proposed rule — not yet in effect — that would prevent people from changing the gender marker on their birth certificate. For justification, the administrative rule refers to a March executive order from the governor defining “sex” throughout state law in exclusionary and discriminatory ways. Public comments were accepted through July 18, with a tentative effective date in October 2025.

Note: MAP will update the Equality Maps if and when either of these developments are in effect.
“Shield” or “refuge” laws protecting transgender health careSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.June 20: Delaware’s governor issued an executive order to protect both patients and providers of medically necessary care for transgender people. Delaware is now one of three states with a “shield” executive order that protects access to transgender health care.
Regulating gender to allow discrimination against transgender and nonbinary peopleSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.

In 2025 alone, eight states total have enacted a new law (7) or executive order (1) defining “sex” throughout state law. To date, 18 states total have such a policy, and more than one in four transgender people (28%) across the country live in these states.June 20: Texas became the 16th state with a law or executive order defining “sex” throughout state law.June 30: Ohio became the 17th state to enact a law, after lawmakers used the state’s budget process to insert and force through multiple anti-LGBTQ provisions. While the governor vetoed some of these provisions, he did not veto this gender regulation/sex definition provision.July 29: North Carolina became the 18th state to enact a law, following the legislature’s override of the governor’s veto.
“Don’t Say LGBTQ” curriculum censorship lawsSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.June 20: Texas became the 12th state with a “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law. It applies to all grades pre-kindergarten through 12. The same bill also banned DEI-related programs and activities in schools, student groups about sexual orientation or gender identity (such as gay-straight alliances [GSAs]), and more. ACLU has already announced they will sue to challenge unconstitutional aspects of the bill.
Bans on medical care for transgender youthSee our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here, including a chronology and details on effective dates, exceptions, lawsuits, and more.July 17: Puerto Rico became the first U.S. territory — joining 27 U.S. states — to ban medically necessary care for transgender youth. Unlike other state bans, Puerto Rico’s law explicitly applies up to age 21, making it the farthest-reaching such ban to date. The law also creates criminal penalties for medical providers, with up to 15 years in prison if convicted.August 1: New Hampshire expanded its existing ban on some forms of surgical care for transgender minors to now include both additional forms of surgical care and prescription medication for transgender youth. The expansions will not go into effect until January 1, 2026, and there is a grandfather clause allowing youth who begin prescription medication prior to January 1 to continue receiving that medical care.
Changes in MAP’s policy score categorizationsSee our Overall, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity Policy Tally maps here, summarizing states’ scores across all the 50+ laws and policies we track.Virginia’s undermining of its own law against conversion “therapy” dropped the state to “Fair” on our Overall Tally.
▸▸ Local Policy Updates
Conversion “therapy” ordinancesSee our Equality Map with local-level data here and state-by-state listings at each state’s profile.June 23: Columbia, South Carolina, repealed its ordinance protecting LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion “therapy.” This repeal was effectively forced by a development in June, when the state enacted a first-of-its-kind law withholding state funds from any municipality that has a local-level law protecting minors from conversion “therapy.” Because the state’s capital, Columbia, was the only city in the state with these protections, this law effectively targeted Columbia, threatening to withhold nearly $4 million in state funding from the city unless they repealed their ordinance.August 19: Whitehall, Ohio, enacted a new ordinance protecting LGBTQ youth from conversion “therapy.” Whitehall is the 14th municipality in Ohio with such an ordinance.Nondiscrimination ordinancesSee our Equality Maps with local-level data here and state-by-state listings at each state’s profile.August 19: Whitehall, Ohio’s new ordinance protecting LGBTQ youth from conversion “therapy” also prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ people in employment, housing, and public accommodations. While the state lacks similar statewide protections, Whitehall is the 40th municipality in Ohio with fully inclusive, local-level nondiscrimination protections.▸▸ LGBTQ Bill Tracking UpdatesTo continue highlighting trends across the country, included below are our current bill tracking counts for anti-LGBTQ bills in state legislatures.Note: these counts may differ from other organizations or public counts for a variety of reasons, and this work is greatly facilitated by the work of other organizations including the ACLU, Trans Formations Project, and the Equality Federation and their member state groups.

As of August 7, 2025, MAP tracked over 715 anti-LGBTQ bills that were introduced across 49 states — i.e., every state but Vermont — in the 2024–2025 legislative sessions.

Click here to learn more about how the LGBTQ policy landscape has evolved over the last year and how to support on-the-ground changemakers in the fight for equality.
 ▸▸ MAP Policy Research UpdatesIn July, and in partnership with The Trevor Project, MAP published a new report,LGBTQ Policy Spotlight: Laws Protecting LGBTQ Youth From Conversion “Therapy.”
With the U.S. Supreme Court set to hear a case (Chiles v. Salazar) in late 2025 challenging the legality of laws protecting LGBTQ youth against these dangerous and discredited practices, this timely analysis details the history of these laws, the present and shifting landscape of both protective laws and counter-efforts to undermine these protections, and the importance of continuing to protect LGBTQ youth.
To schedule an interview with a MAP researcher or for questions, please contact Dana Juniel at dana@mapresearch.org.
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About MAP: MAP’s mission is to provide independent and rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all. MAP works to ensure that all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life. www.mapresearch.org

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New Repost from MAP and The Trevor Project Underscores the Harms of Conversion Therapy

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Today, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and The Trevor Project released a new report that spotlights the harms of conversion “therapy” and details the shifting landscape of efforts to protect LGBTQ young people against this abuse. With the U.S. Supreme Court set to hear a case this fall (Chiles v. Salazar) challenging the legality of these protections, this report offers a timely analysis into the history of these laws, the present landscape, and the importance of continuing to protect LGBTQ youth.  

THE PREVALENCE OF CONVERSION “THERAPY” — AND ITS GROWING FOCUS ON TRANSGENDER YOUTH 

Conversion “therapy” is a dangerous and discredited practice that attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. These practices have gone by many names and misleading euphemisms over many years, including “ex-gay therapy,” “reparative therapy,” and, more recently, “reintegrative therapy” or “exploratory therapy.” No matter the name, such practices share the fundamental premise that being LGBTQ is wrong, undesirable, and abnormal. 

For decades, an unregulated industry masquerading as health care has used these tactics against LGBTQ people and their families—and they continue to do so today. Because these practices are often conducted in relative secret or under the guise of different names, they are difficult to track, and estimates may vary as a result.  

This report includes national estimates from recent research and national surveys, which show how conversion “therapy” practices remain widespread today. MAP’s analysis also importantly explains how these harmful practices target transgender people’s gender identity, including transgender youth. 

PROTECTING LGBTQ YOUTH FROM THESE HARMFUL PRACTICES 

Historically, and continuing today, there has been widespread public support for protecting LGBTQ youth from conversion “therapy,” including across the political spectrum. For example: 

  • Both a 2025 Data for Progress poll and a 2019 Reuters-Ipsos poll found 56% of U.S. adults think conversion “therapy” should be illegal to use on LGBTQ minors.
  • In the 23 states that have passed legislation protecting minors from conversion “therapy,” every bill has passed with Republican support.
  • As of July 2025, state Republican lawmakers had sponsored or voted in favor of legislation protecting LGBTQ youth from conversion “therapy” at least 682 times. 
  • One-third of existing state protections against conversion “therapy” were enacted by Republican governors. 

Today, 23 states and the District of Columbia have laws protecting minors from these practices, while another four states and Puerto Rico restrict these practices in other ways. 

Laws protecting LGBTQ children from conversion “therapy” have helped raise awareness and ensure that state-licensed therapists and medical providers are providing competent, evidence-based care and are not causing harm to those entrusted to their care. 

A LARGER AND COORDINATED ATTACK ON LGBTQ PEOPLE—ESPECIALLY YOUTH 

Since 2020, there has been a significant and dramatic escalation in political attacks on the LGBTQ community, with most of these attacks especially targeting LGBTQ youth and transgender people. This has caused startling shifts in the policy landscape, including new and escalating efforts to protect—and in some cases even promote—conversion “therapy.”

For example, in April 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released an anonymously authored report attacking evidence-based, medically necessary care for transgender youth, while repeatedly mentioning conversion “therapy” using the deceptive euphemism “exploratory therapy”. It did so both to promote subjecting transgender young people to these dangerous practices, and to further attack families’ ability to get a transgender child the medical care they need. This report details lawsuits challenging conversion “therapy” laws, as well as recent legislation that aims to push these harmful practices or challenge existing protections at both the state and local level. 

RECOMMENDATIONS AND RESOURCES 

The scientific research and personal testimonies of LGBTQ people who have been subjected to conversion “therapy” are clear: this is a dangerous and discredited practice—one that the government can and should restrict to protect its citizens.  

  • States and municipalities should protect minors from harmful conversion “therapy” practices. 
  • States and municipalities should fight against efforts to protect or promote conversion “therapy,” including attempted repeals of existing protections. 
  • LGBTQ youth in crisis can contact The Trevor Project by calling 1-866-488-7386; texting “START” to 678-678; or starting a chat at www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help. 

All youth deserve love, support, and acceptance. While the law cannot ensure that all youth have these vital needs met, it can protect them from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion “therapy”—and promote an environment in which every young person knows they are safe, supported, and exactly who they were meant to be. 

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About MAP 

The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) provides rigorous research, insight, and analysis that help speed equality and opportunity for all. MAP works to ensure that LGBTQ people and their families can live their lives with dignity, safety, and respect by focusing on three key areas: policy and issue analysis, movement capacity, and effective messaging. MAP’s work also covers a broad range of social justice issues that intersect with the LGBTQ movement, including racial justice, economic justice, and healthcare access. www.mapresearch.org

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LGBTQ CURRICULAR LAWS by State

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LGBTQ-related curricular laws are important for LGBTQ students’ health, well-being, and academic success. This map shows multiple distinct policies related to LGBTQ inclusion in—or exclusion from—school curricula or standards. First, LGBTQ-inclusive curricular laws explicitly require the state’s curricular standards to include LGBTQ people and history, such as in subjects like history, civics, or social studies. Harmful, exclusionary laws include older-style censorship laws that restrict how schools can discuss “homosexuality” in specific subjects; parental notification laws, which require parents to be notified in advance of any LGBTQ-related curricula and allow parents to opt their children out of those classes (or require them to opt-in); and finally more recent “Don’t Say LGBTQ” laws that explicitly censor teachers and staff from discussing LGBTQ people or issues throughout all curricula. Click “Citations & More Information” beneath the map legend for more information about all these types of laws, and learn more about the importance of inclusive curricular standards from GLSEN.

United States Map
  • State law explicitly requires LGBTQ inclusion in state curricular standards (7 states)
  • State law requires state education department to create LGBTQ-inclusive model curriculum, but does not require schools to use it (1 state)
  • State has none of these LGBTQ-specific curricular laws (25 states , 5 territories + D.C.)
  • State law restricts how schools can discuss “homosexuality” in specific curricula (e.g., sex education) (see note) (4 states)
  • State law requires advance parental notification of any LGBTQ-related curricula and allows parents to opt their children out (or requires opt-in) (8 states)
  • State law explicitly censors discussions of LGBTQ people or issues throughout all school curricula (i.e., “Don’t Say LGBTQ”) (9 states)

 Citations & More Information

*Notes:
–In the late 1980s, amidst the HIV/AIDS crisis, states began to enact censorship laws restricting how schools could discuss “homosexuality” in specific subjects like sex or health education.  In 2021, these censorship efforts saw a resurgence–and a dramatic escalation–beginning with Florida’s “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law that explicitly banned any discussion of LGBTQ people or issues throughout all school subjects, curricula, learning materials, and more.  Click “Citations & More Information” above for further details and sources about each and every state.
—Arkansas and Florida have both a “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law censoring discussions of LGBTQ people in schools and a parental notification law. The parental notification laws were enacted first in both states.
—Louisiana has both an older-style law (enacted 1987) limiting discussion of homosexuality in specific subjects and a “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law (enacted 2024) now censoring discussions of LGBTQ people throughout all subjects and settings. 
–In March 2024, the state of Florida settled a lawsuit that limited the scope of the state’s “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law to instruction only. This means that students can, for example, ask questions about LGBTQ people or issues and teachers can respond, that schools can have Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), and more. However, the ban still applies to classroom instruction,  which is the focus of this map. 
–In December 2023, a federal judge temporarily blocked Iowa‘s “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law.  
–Click “Citations & More Information” beneath the map legend, or the “Citations” tab above, for more information about these and all states.

Often, laws requiring LGBTQ-inclusive curricular standards also require inclusive representation of other communities like people of color, people with disabilities, and religious minorities. Learn more about the importance of inclusive curricular standards from GLSEN.

Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. “Equality Maps: LGBTQ Curricular Laws.” https://www.mapresearch.org/equality_maps/curricular_laws. Accessed [day of access].

Percent of LGBTQ Youth Covered by Laws

*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of LGBTQ youth in the U.S. territories or under age 13 are not available, and so cannot be reflected here. Population estimates are from The Williams Institute.

25%

25 % of LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) live in states that require inclusion of LGBTQ people/history in school curricular standards

1%

1 % of LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) live in states that require the state education department to develop an LGBTQ-inclusive model curriculum, but do not require schools to use it

36%

36 % of LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) live in states with none of these LGBTQ-specific curricular laws

13%

13 % of LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) live in states that restrict how schools can discuss “homosexuality” in specific curricula (e.g., sex education) (see note beneath the map)

15%

15 % of LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) live in states that require parental notification of any LGBTQ-related curricula and allow parents to opt their children out (or require opt-in)

20%

20 % of LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) live in states that explicitly censor discussions of LGBTQ people or issues throughout all school curricula (i.e., “Don’t Say LGBTQ”)

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Forced Outing of Transgender Youth in Schools by State

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Since 2020, there has been a growing legislative attack on transgender people, and particularly on transgender youth. This includes a growing number of bills (and now laws) that explicitly require school staff—and in some cases, any government or public employee—to out transgender youth to their families, often without regard for whether doing so might put the child at risk of harm. Importantly, however, these laws vary in their actual requirements, as shown below. Click the “Citations & More Information” orange button for more detail.*Notes: 
–States with a caution icon have policies that vary, but generally have vague requirements to notify parents about any “health” or behavioral concern, but that do not make any explicit mention of gender or gender identity. Because these laws could be broadly interpreted and used to target both transgender youth and LGBTQ youth in general, these may contribute to a hostile school climate for LGBTQ youth even without explicitly requiring forced outing. Note that laws that require general parental access to student records are redundant of existing federal law, and so are not included here. See the “Citations” tab or click “Citations & More Information” beneath the map legend for more detail on each state’s policy.

–Note, Nevada’s policy is via regulation, not legislation.
–Note, Utah’s law applies only to official changes to a student’s education records (e.g., their gender marker or name officially noted on their record), not daily interaction with the student (e.g., conversational use of preferred name/pronouns). 
–Note, Virginia’s policy is via agency policy, not legislation or regulation. However, state law requires school districts to adopt this model policy—though there has been resistance, and so implementation or enforcement may vary across the state. See “Citations & More Information” for more detail. 

Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. [Year of access]. “Equality Maps: Forced Outing of Transgender Students.” www.mapresearch.org/equality-maps/youth/forced_outing. Accessed 02/10/2025.

  • State law forces the outing of transgender youth if they make specific disclosures or requests about their gender identity to school staff (5 states) – Dark Orange
  • State law requires forced outing of transgender youth, but only if parents ask school staff for the information (2 states) – Medium Orange
  • State law requires forced outing of transgender youth before school staff can use a student’s preferred name/pronouns, but a student’s mere request to use a different name or pronouns does not itself require forced outing (7 states) – Light Orange
  • State law does not force the outing of transgender youth in schools (36 states , 5 territories + D.C.) – Yellow
  • State does not force outing but may contribute to hostile school climate (see note beneath map) (4 states)

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Hate Crime Laws by State

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Hate crime laws create additional or enhanced penalties for crimes committed with bias toward particular characteristics, such as race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.  As shown on separate maps, some state laws also require data collection about hate crimes and training for law enforcement about hate crimes. 

United States Map

The federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act allows the federal government to prosecute hate crimes, including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity. State laws may also allow for state or local prosecution of certain hate crimes, depending on what, if any, protections the state law offers.

  • Law enumerates sexual orientation and gender identity(23 states , 2 territories + D.C.)
  • Law enumerates only sexual orientation (11 states)
  • State explicitly interprets existing hate crimes law to include sexual orientation and/or gender identity (1 state)
  • Existing hate crime law does not cover sexual orientation or gender identity (12 states)
  • No hate crime law (4 states, 3 territories)

 Citations & More Information

*Notes:
–Rhode Island’s data collection law includes both sexual orientation and gender identity, but its actual hate crime statute includes only sexual orientation. Click “Citations & More Information” beneath the map legend for more detail.
–Tennessee state law explicitly enumerates sexual orientation, but not gender identity. However, the law does enumerate “gender,” and the state attorney general affirms that this means transgender people are also protected.
–Both Arkansas and Indiana have laws that are sometimes mischaracterized as hate crime laws. However,  the laws in these two states are written so broadly that they could be applied to virtually any circumstance, which is at odds which both the structure and purpose of hate crime law. For more information, click the “Read the State-by-State Statutes” button, or read MAP’s July 2021 report on hate crime laws linked below.

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act amended federal hate crime law to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability.  State hate crime laws are still important, because not all crimes may fall under federal jurisdiction.

Read MAP’s report Policy Spotlight: Hate Crime Laws (July 2021) for more analysis of the many dimensions of state hate crime laws, the complex patchwork across states, the limitations of hate crime laws, and the potential opportunities for expanding social and policy responses to hate violence.

Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. “Equality Maps: Hate Crime Laws.” https://www.mapresearch.org/equality-maps/hate_crime_laws. Accessed 02/10/2025. 

Percent of Adult LGBTQ Population Covered by Laws

*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.

54%

54 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that have hate crime laws covering sexual orientation and gender identity

24%

24 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that have hate crime laws covering sexual orientation

2%

2 % of LGBTQ population lives in states which explicitly interpret existing hate crimes law to include sexual orientation and/or gender identity

16%

16 % of LGBTQ population lives in states with laws that do not cover sexual orientation or gender identity

4%

4 % of LGBTQ population lives in states with no hate crime laws

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Equality Wrapped: Key Takeaways from LGBTQ-Related Policy in 2024

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As this unprecedented year of change comes to an end, we at MAP are taking a look back at the laws and policies that directly impact the experiences of LGBTQ people across the country. Below, we offer an overview of the major trends and biggest shifts from the past 12 months.

High Level Points of Interest

MAP’s real-time tracking shows that anti-LGBTQ laws were enacted in at least 18 states this year, but it also highlights numerous wins, including the fact that 92% of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this year have not become law, according to the ACLU, as of December 10, 2024.

However, it is important to note that states that enacted a new anti-LGBTQ policy this year tended to enact more than one negative policy. Of the at least 18 states that enacted any new anti-LGBTQ policy this year, at least 13 enacted multiple anti-LGBTQ policies.

Unfortunately, New Hampshire followed this trend and became the first state in the Northeast to pass any explicitly anti-transgender law, including the enactment of a ban on medical care for transgender youth, a ban on transgender youth playing sports, and a curriculum censorship law.

At least 18 states* enacted new anti-LGBTQ laws or policies in 2024:

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming

At least 13 states* enacted new pro-LGBTQ laws or policies in 2024:

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington

* Note: these lists reflect issues tracked by MAP’s Equality Maps, covering 50+ policies. States may have enacted additional anti- or pro-LGBTQ laws or policies not included here.

Equality Maps: LGBTQ Equality by State

The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) tracks over 50 different LGBTQ-related laws and policies. This snapshot shows the overall policy tallies for each state.

Transgender Health Care

In 2024, attacks on transgender health care continued to escalate, particularly via far-reaching attacks on public funding.

Public funding or coverage of transgender related health benefits

Idaho and South Carolina both enacted total bans on public funding for the provision of best practice medical care for transgender people of any age — effectively ending coverage of this medical care for state employees and their families, for state residents on Medicaid, and in numerous other settings.

Bans on medical care for transgender youth

New bans were enacted in four states (Ohio, Wyoming, South Carolina, and New Hampshire). Today 40% of all transgender youth in the country live in states with these bans. However, there were also multiple important wins for transgender medical care, including but not limited to:

  • In Kansas, the governor vetoed such a ban for the second time in as many years.
  • Proposed regulations that would have severely restricted access to care for transgender adults in Ohio were withdrawn after significant community and advocacy efforts.
  • There are ongoing lawsuits in at least 17 states of the 26 states with bans, including the current U.S. Supreme Court case.

Equality Map: Bans on Best Practice Medical Care for Transgender Youth

The policies depicted in this map reflect statewide bans, limitations, or restrictions on access to best practice…

“Shield” or “refuge” laws protecting transgender health care

New laws protecting both patients and providers of transgender-related medical care were enacted in three states (Maine, Maryland, and Rhode Island), bringing the total to 16 states and D.C. with a law or executive order to this effect.

Equality Map: Transgender Healthcare “Shield” Laws

The policies shown in this map are “shield” or “refuge” laws protecting transgender people’s access to medically…

Impacts on Identity Documents

At the beginning of last year (2023), 0% of transgender people lived in states with total bans on gender marker changes to driver’s licenses.

Today, 17% — or one in six transgender people — live in states that ban transgender people from accessing accurate licenses.

Gender marker changes on driver’s licenses

Arkansas, Missouri, and Montana enacted new and severe restrictions, a court ruling allowed Alabama to reinstate severe restrictions that had previously been ruled unconstitutional, and Florida and Texas enacted total bans.

However, new lawsuits were filed against anti-transgender driver’s license policies in Arkansas, Montana, and Tennessee. Additionally, Illinois residents were newly able to access “X” options on their driver’s licenses in 2024.

Gender marker changes on birth certificates

Massachusetts and Illinois eliminated medical documentation requirements for gender marker changes. Massachusetts introduced new “X” options, while West Virginia banned the use of “X” options.

Equality Maps: Identity Document Laws and Policies

These maps outline ID laws and policies for updating gender markers on driver’s licenses and birth certificates.

In addition, in 2024 at least three states (Florida, Montana, and Texas) enacted new total bans on gender marker changes on birth certificates, doubling the number of states with total bans and now, covering 19% of transgender adults.

Regulating Gender to Allow Discrimination

In 2024, five states passed new laws regulating gender by defining “sex” throughout state law. Importantly, three of the five new laws also contained an explicit bathroom ban, which suggests that similar combination bills might be more common in 2025.

  • Five states (Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah) enacted new laws defining “sex.” As a result, now 10 states have a law or executive order regulating gender, and in states like Kansas, Montana, and others, these laws have been used to force other anti-LGBTQ policies like total bans on gender marker changes on identity documents.
  • However, in 2024, the governor of Arizona vetoed a similar law, and Montana’s 2023 gender regulation law was ruled unconstitutional, though the lawsuit is ongoing.
Equality Map: Regulating Gender to Allow Discrimination (via MAP)

Strengthening Marriage and Pathways to Parentage

For many LGBTQ+ families, the recent election has brought up new concerns about the safety of our marriages and parental rights. In 2024, advocates worked to advance a number of key laws and policies that directly impact the lives of same-sex couples, LGBTQ+ parents and their children.

Parental recognition laws

In Michigan, the state enacted the Michigan Family Protection Act, a package of nine bills that made great strides in modernizing the state’s parenting laws, while in Massachusetts, the state enacted the Massachusetts Parentage Act, strengthening existing pathways and adding new ones.

Freedom to marry

In November, three states (California, Colorado, and Hawaii) all repealed their outdated and discriminatory constitutional amendments banning marriage equality. Read more of our analysis here.

Equality Map: Marriage Bans (via MAP)

In Virginia, the Republican governor signed a law making it illegal to deny a marriage license to a couple regardless of either person’s race, sex, or gender. It also requires the state to recognize lawful marriages regardless of the parties’ race, sex, or gender. While the state’s now-unenforceable constitutional amendment banning gay marriage remains on the books, this new law is an important, explicit recognition of legal marriages.

School Based Policies

In 2024, efforts to erase LGBTQ youth from public life continued via a range of tactics, including making it illegal to talk about LGBTQ people or support LGBTQ students, banning books that mention LGBTQ issues, preventing transgender youth from playing sports with their friends, and more.

Bans on transgender kids playing school sports

Two new states (Ohio and New Hampshire) enacted bans on transgender youth playing school sports according to their gender identity. Today, 26 states have a sports ban on the books, affecting 38% of transgender youth.

Equality Map: Bans on Transgender Youth Participation in Sports

The policies shown in this map are blanket bans on transgender people’s participation in sports, which are both…

LGBTQ curriculum censorship laws

Three new states passed LGBTQ-specific curriculum censorship laws in 2024, with Louisiana becoming the 8th state with a “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law. Wyomingand New Hampshire enacted new laws requiring schools to notify parents in advance of LGBTQ-related content and either requiring parents to opt their children in to that instruction (Wyoming) or allowing parents to opt their children out (New Hampshire).

Equality Map: LGBTQ Curricular Laws

LGBTQ-related curricular laws are important for LGBTQ students’ health, wellbeing, and academic success. This map shows…

LGBTQ-inclusive curricular laws

Washington became the seventh state to explicitly require that state curricular standards include LGBTQ people and history. In addition, in 2024, a new lawsuit was filed challenging Montana’s curriculum censorship law from 2021, and in Florida, an important settlement was reached that narrowed the harm of the state’s “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law.

Click above or here to view our Equality Map for LGBTQ-inclusive curricular laws.

Forced or encouraged outing of transgender youth in schools

Three new states (Idaho, Tennessee, and South Carolina) enacted laws endangering transgender youth in schools by potentially forcing their outing.

Equality Map: Forced Outing of Transgender Youth in Schools (via MAP)

Bathroom Bans

In 2024, new bathroom bans were enacted in six states: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, and Utah. As a result, 14 states now have these bans of varying scope; all of these bans apply to K-12 school settings, and half apply more broadly to other government or publicly-owned settings.

Equality Map: Bans on Transgender People Using Bathrooms and Facilities

The policies shown in this map prohibit transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities-such as locker rooms…

Religious Exemption Laws

This year, there were multiple efforts to expand state religious exemption laws that create carveouts or exceptions to existing laws for those seeking exemptions from state laws that burden their religious beliefs.

  • In 2024, Idaho enacted a targeted religious exemption for both child welfare service providers and mental health providers.
  • Bringing the total to 27 states, Iowa and Utah each enacted a broad “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA) in 2024.
  • Tennessee became the first since 2016 to enact a religious exemption law for public officials solemnizing marriages.

Other Positive Developments

Nondiscrimination Laws

While Maryland already had LGBTQ-inclusive protections in many key areas, a new 2024 law added explicit LGBTQ protections to the state’s laws for nondiscrimination in:

  • Private health insurance
  • Credit and lending
  • Jury service

Conversion “therapy”

Two states took action to limit the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion “therapy.”

  • In Pennsylvania, five relevant state administrative boards adopted new policies effectively prohibiting the use of conversion “therapy” statewide.
  • Kentucky’s governor issued an executive order partially banning the practice by prohibiting the use of state funds, among other directives.

Equality Map: Conversion “Therapy” Bans

Conversion “therapy” laws prohibit licensed mental health practitioners from subjecting LGBTQ minors to harmful practices that attempt to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Insurance coverage of fertility treatment and preservation

  • California and New Jersey passed new laws mandating that private insurers cover fertility treatment care (such as IVF) and the new requirements are also explicitly LGBTQ inclusive.
  • Massachusetts passed a new law mandating that private insurers cover fertility preservation (such as egg retrieval), including storage.

Gay panic defense

Michigan and Minnesota joined 18 other states and the District of Columbia, becoming the latest states to ban the use of LGBTQ panic defenses in courtrooms.

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Overwhelming Majority of LGBTQ Community Centers Have Experienced Anti-LGBTQ Harassment Over the Past Two Years, Report Finds 

Today the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and CenterLink released the 2024 LGBTQ Community Center Survey Report, which showed that 73% of LGBTQ centers surveyed reported they had experienced anti-LGBTQ threats or harassment over the past two years, much of which were specifically in response to anti-LGBTQ politics or rhetoric. 

The 2024 LGBTQ Community Center Survey report had 199 participating LGBTQ community centers in 42 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The biennial survey series started in 2008, highlights the crucial role these centers play in the broader LGBTQ movement, offering an invaluable link between LGBTQ people and local, state, and national efforts to advance LGBTQ equality.

“As attacks on LGBTQ people escalate year after year, we applaud these centers’ ongoing dedication to serving on the front line – meeting both the immediate and long-term needs of LGBTQ people, their families, and their communities across the country,” said Tessa Juste, LGBTQ Movement Building and Policy Researcher from the Movement Advancement Project. “This report illustrates the vital difference these centers make in people’s everyday lives, while also highlighting the urgent need for continued funding and support of these centers and the lifelines they provide.”

The report also showed that the 199 participating LGBTQ community centers collectively serve over 58,700 people each week, or over 3 million people per year, with many centers primarily serving people and communities that are historically under-resourced and under-served, including low-income, people of color, transgender people, and those under the age of 18.
“This report is a crucial guidepost for us to see the positive impact of LGBTQ centers across the U.S. as well as what areas need additional resources,” said Denise Spivak, CEO of CenterLink. “As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, this report makes clear the importance of LGBTQ centers in our communities.”
Additional Key Findings The report breaks down program priorities, constituencies and services, infrastructure, fundraising, and staff, board, and volunteer capacity, in addition to the rising threats to safety and security experienced by centers.  
 
Programs & Services 66% of LGBTQ community centers directly provide physical health, mental health, and/or anti-violence services or programs—and this number jumps to 95% of centers when including those that provide referrals to LGBTQ-friendly health providers. Half of centers (50%) offer computer resources or services to the public, providing needed tools for job searching and career development, social services, schoolwork, and more.Nearly all centers (92%) engage in advocacy, public policy, or civic engagement activities, across a wide range of issues and areas, including over half engaging in voter registration efforts. More than one-third of centers listed anti-transgender legislation or other focus areas as their top priority, reflecting the increasingly hostile political and legislative landscape today.   Center Capacity Although LGBTQ community centers reported a collective 2024 budget of over $366 million across all centers, the report shows that the financial realities of LGBTQ community centers vary greatly. Over one-third of centers have budgets of less than $250,000. In addition, over 98% of that collective budget belongs to big budget centers (budgets of $250,000 or more).

Funding sources also vary across the different size centers: the largest share (41%) of big budget centers reported that government grants were their top single source of revenue in 2023, while the largest share (41%) of small budget centers said individual contributions were their main source of revenue in 2023.Government grants provide key resources to centers and are used to provide key services to LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ people alike in local communities across the country. 

Over six in ten (64%) responding LGBTQ community centers reported currently having a government grant, totaling more than $117 million in funding for needed services like health and housing.While nearly half of all centers remain thinly staffed, 84% of responding centers employ paid staff, providing jobs to 3,100 people.In 2023, roughly 11,600 people volunteered over 421,000 hours at responding community centers, helping centers with and without paid staff to significantly expand their reach and impact. 
 
MethodologyThe survey was conducted online in July 2024 and was distributed to LGBTQ community centers in the United States that are CenterLink members. The survey was jointly developed by MAP and CenterLink. Further details are available in the report.


About MAP: MAP’s mission is to provide independent and rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all. MAP works to ensure that all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life. www.mapresearch.org About CenterLink: For 30 years, CenterLink has been at the forefront of empowering LGBTQ community centers. Our mission is clear: to strengthen, support, and connect LGBTQ community centers, enabling them to effectively serve their communities across social, cultural, health, and advocacy areas. CenterLink facilitates over $1.5 million in collaborative funding annually, ensuring our centers have the resources to continue making a meaningful impact. We provide essential resources, guidance, and a collective voice to our emerging and established centers. www.lgbtqcenters.org