Most lgbtq friendly states

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Rebecca Edwards

Rebecca has been a journalist and blogger for over 30 years, with a focus on home services and tech for the past decade.

“It feels like five or 10 years ago, trans people were not under the same microscope they are now and that has definitely influenced our move,” McGuire said. You can find her expert advice and analysis in places like TechCrunch, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald, NPR, HGTV, MSN, Reader's Digest, Real Simple, and an ever-growing library of radio, podcast, and TV clips.

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What are the safest places for gay and trans people? A state’s policy tally scores the laws and policies within each state that shape LGBTQ people's lives, experiences, and equality. But gay and trans people soon began using it to figure out where they should – and should not – live and work, never more so than now, as rights rollbacks from the Trump administration and red statehouses hit close to home.

Opposition to transgender rights was a central plank in Trump’s presidential campaign and since taking office he has signed a series of executive orders recognizing only male and female genders, keeping trans athletes out of women’s sports, banning trans people from serving in the military and restricting federal funding for gender-affirming care for trans people under age 19.

They weren’t looking for people in bathrooms and schools.

We’d also like to note that we didn’t look into local laws. Laws that explicitly mention “gender identity” or “gender identity and expression” primarily target, whether for protection or harm, transgender people.

While progressive strongholds championed supportive policies and protections, conservative states elected a slate of leaders who openly oppose gay and trans rights and sponsored an unprecedented wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, Out Leadership CEO and founder Todd Sears said.

So-called “Don’t Say Gay” bills, religious exemptions and other legislation tanked the rankings of 19 red states in the Out Leadership index, according to Sears.

most lgbtq friendly states

The MAP Overall Policy Score comes from the Movement Advancement Project's analysis of LGBTQ+ legislation. The major categories of laws covered by the policy tally include: Marriage and Relationship Recognition, Adoption and Parenting, Non-Discrimination, Safe Schools, Health and Safety, and the Ability for Transgender People to Correct the Gender Marker on Identity Documents.

View the Tallies

Infographics

Policy Tallies: Infographics

From the pages of Mapping LGBT Equality in America is a set of shareable infographics, including: ‘Equality Wheel: LGBT Policy Tallies by State,’ ‘Percent of Population Covered,’ ‘State Tallies if the Supreme Court Grants Nationwide Marriage for Same-Sex Couples,’ and more.

View the Graphics

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See where your state ranks

As Oklahoman legislators push to restrict trans rights and overturn the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage, Zane Eaves says his identity as a transgender man has put a target on his back in his home state.

One of 18,900 trans adults in Oklahoma, Eaves has received death threats, as has his wife of 10 years and their two children.

“All the hatred and political stuff going on” are driving this Oklahoma lifer from the place he was born and raised, Eaves, 35, said.

Even states seen as safer for LGBTQ+ people have been navigating these edicts around trans athletes. But the sharpest declines came in Republican-led states.

Trans and gender-diverse people historically face financial hardship due to systemic oppression and discrimination, and need assistance finding jobs and housing, as well as with interstate moving expenses that can run tens of thousands, Woodward said.

TRACTION used to get a few applications a week until Trump won a second term.

LGBTQ+ Americans on the move

Interest in relocating to friendlier states is even higher today than it was after Trump’s reelection, say nonprofit workers who aid trans and gender-diverse people relocate to more liberal states with broader protections.

At the same time, socially progressive cities in conservative states like Fargo and Grand Forks are no longer the safe havens they once were, he said.

States with lower scores might shift rapidly with an influx of resources, and states with higher scores might backslide, or they might expand equality for LGBTQ people in ways that can provide models for other states.

  • For the second year in a row, Oregon reports the highest percentage of LGBTQ+ people (7.8%), followed by Delaware (7.5%), Vermont (7.4%), and New Hampshire (7.2%).
  • Mississippi and West Virginia tie for the smallest LGBTQ+ population at 4.1%, followed by North Carolina (4.4%) and Illinois (4.5%).

    • LGBTQ+ households with children

    Top 7 most LGBTQ+ friendly states

    How we ranked the safest states for LGBTQ+ families

    For this year's report, we teamed up with SafeWise, a website committed to helping people live a safer life at home and in their community.

    We examined each state from multiple angles:

    To help you and your partner find a safe and accepting place to raise your family, we compared state safety and cost of living data to nationwide trends.