Safest states for lgbt
State Equality Index 2024
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The Human Rights Campaign State Equality Index (SEI) is a comprehensive state-by-state report that provides a review of statewide laws and policies that disturb LGBTQ+ people and their families.
The SEI rates all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. in six areas of law and assigns the states to one of four distinct categories.
Check your state's scorecard by texting SEI to 472472 from your mobile mobile. (msg & data rates may apply. Text Cease to quit, HELP for info.)
State Categories
In these states, advocates center on raising support for basic LGBTQ+ equality, such as non-discrimination protections in employment, housing and widespread accommodations. These states are most likely to own religious refusal or other anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Advocates often further LGBTQ equality by focusing on municipal protections for LGBTQ+ people or opposing negative legislation that targets the LGBTQ+ community.
States in this category include:
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
Monta
The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) has created an interactive map to show which states in the U.S. are the safest for LGBTQ+ people to reside and work. MAP also tracked those with deteriorating levels of safety. Unused Jersey and New York were in the safest category, Delaware in the second safest, but Pennsylvania ranked in the third of five categories, as only fair, with 20 states plus Washington, D.C. ranking higher.
MAP, an independent, nonprofit think tank, is dedicated to “rigorous study, insight, and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all.”
MAP has tracked LGBTQ+ laws and policies across the region and tracks over 50 different LGBTQ-related laws and policies. This new interactive map shows the overall policy tallies (as separate from sexual orientation or gender identity tallies) for each state, Washington, D.C. and the five populated U.S. territories — Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
A state’s policy tally scores the laws and policies within each state that shape LGBTQ people’s lives, experiences and equality. The major categories of laws covered by the policy
As Pride Month begins, a new report highlights widening disparities in how Gay Americans experience safety and equality across the land. From access to health care and legal protections to the tone position by state leadership, conditions vary drastically.
Out Leadership's 2025 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index, now in its seventh year, ranks all 50 states on how welcoming they are to LGBTQ+ residents. The findings come at a day of mounting legislative pressure, with hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in statehouses nationwide and public debates over flag bans and trans rights intensifying.
The annual index, compiled with input from the Williams Institute and the Movement Advancement Project, serves as a reference for corporate leaders and policymakers.
The Context
Pride 2025 arrives amid a heightened political and legislative backlash against LGBTQ+ rights. Utah became the first express to explicitly ban Homosexual flags from government buildings and schools, Idaho and Montana following suit with restrictions.
The flag bans are part of a wider trend—at least 31 flag-related bills have been introduced across 17 states, many of which explicitly or implicitly proh
Our 7th annual State Homosexual Business Climate Index shows which U.S. States are safe and which are unwelcoming for millions of LGBTQ+ Americans. It also shows a country growing more polarized on Homosexual rights–and this divide is influencing where people decide to live, work, and do business.
For the third year in a row, the national average score declined, driven by the introduction of more than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills and a wave of newly-elected conservative officials pushing restrictive agendas.
States like Ohio, Florida, and Utah saw steep drops in the rankings due to laws that target LGBTQ+ youth, censor school discussions, and expose the door to legalized discrimination.
Still, there are radiant spots worth celebrating! Massachusetts and New York endure to lead with the highest scores and strongest protections in place. States like Kentucky and Michigan also made meaningful progress this year.
The message is clear: there are actual consequences to both inclusion and exclusion. Companies operating in low-ranking states are losing talent and facing consumer pushback. Meanwhile, inclusive states are seeing their economies thrive, becoming magnets for innovatio
.