(NEXSTAR) – As the LGBTQ+ community celebrates Pride Month this June, it also looks back on a year full of Litigation and grows Restrictions on their rightsespecially those of Transgender youth.
A map created by Our leadership for its 2024 Equality Report shows where LGBTQ+ rights are strengthening and where they are deteriorating, state by state. The organization, which advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the economy, reports that equality scores fell in 22 states last year.
Much of the change has been driven by anti-trans legislation, says Out Leadership. Republicans in state government have increasingly pushed to pass laws restricting which bathrooms transgender students can employ, which sports teams transgender athletes can play on, and what gender they can list on their driver’s license, Related Press reports.
At least 23 states have passed bans on gender-affirming care for minors, according to AP, and 25 have passed restrictions on the participation of trans women and girls in sports.
Out Leadership’s map shows that Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and North Dakota saw the biggest declines in equality last year.
MAP: Movement in the scoreboard for LGBTQ+ equality
Where does this leave us? According to Out Leadership, dozens of states do not allow gay and transgender people to participate “fully and openly” in the economy.
A second map shows each state’s overall score, with green states being the most open to LGBTQ+ participation and red states being the most restrictive. Each state was rated on legal protections, political and religious attitudes, access to health care and workplace equality, among other things.
New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont had the highest scores overall, while Tennessee, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Louisiana and Arkansas had the worst scores.
MAP: Overall LGBTQ+ Equality Score
Arkansas received the worst rating of any state in the report’s six-year history. Just this year, the state stopped allowing residents to employ “X” as an option for their gender on driver’s licenses and identification cards (although the recent rule continues to face legal challenges).
