Legislation Affecting LGBTQ Rights Across the Country 2021

Last updated 12/17/2021 - This website is updated on a weekly basis.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in America continue to face discrimination in their daily lives. While more states every year work to pass laws to protect LGBTQ people, we continue to see state legislatures advancing bills that target transgender people, limit local protections, and allow the use of religion to discriminate.

*Note: Bills are reported as Active below if they were introduced in their states' 2020 legislative sessions and have carried over to 2021. The status date indicates the convening of the state's 2021 session or the most current activity on a particular bill.

View 2020 Session bills.

View 2019 Session bills.

View 2018 Session bills.

Anti-LGBTQ Bills:

Anti-Trans Bills

These measures target transgender and nonbinary people for discrimination, such as by barring or criminalizing healthcare for transgender youth, barring access to the use of appropriate facilities like restrooms, restricting transgender students’ ability to fully participate in school and sports, allowing religiously-motivated discrimination against trans people, or making it more difficult for trans people to get identification documents with their name and gender.

a. Prohibiting healthcare for transgender youth

State	Bill Number	Status
AL	SB 10 HB 1 SB 5	Died Indefinitely postponed 5/6/21 Prefiled for 2022; will be read for first time 1/11/22
AR	SB 347 HB 1570	Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment 10/15/21 Signed into law 4/13/21
AZ	SB 1511	Assigned to committee and read the second time 2/2/21
FL	HB 935 HB 211	Died in subcommittee 4/30/21 Prefiled for 2022; referred to committee 10/6/21
GA	HB 401	Read for the second time 2/16/21
IA	HF 193	Introduced and referred to committee 1/22/21
IN	SB 224	Died in committee 2/23/21
KS	HB 2210	Introduced and referred to committee 2/3/21
KY	HB 336 HB 477	Died 4/2/21 Died 4/2/21
LA	HB 575 SB 104	Referred to committee 4/12/21 Read for the second time and referred to commitee 4/12/21
MO	HB 33	Motion to pass failed 5/12/21
MS	SB 2171	Died in committee 2/2/21
MT	HB 113	Died in process 4/29/21
NC	SB 514	Read for the first time and referred to committee 4/6/21
OH	HB 454	Introduced 10/19/21
OK	SB 583 SB 676	Read for the second time and referred to committee 2/2/21 Read for the second time and referred to committee 2/2/21
SC	HB 3477 HB 4047	Read for the first time and referred to committee 1/12/21 Referred to committee 3/9/21
TN	SB 657 HB 578	Referred to committee 2/11/21 Deferred to 2022
TX	HB 68 HB1339 SB 16446	Read for the first time and referred to committee 2/25/21 Placed on general state calendar 5/12/21 Read for the third time and passed in Senate 4/28/21; Referred to committee in House 5/3/21
UT	HB 92	Died 3/5/21
WV	HB 2171	Referred to committee 2/10/21

b. Single-Sex Facility Restrictions

State

Bill Number

Status

HB 1882

HB 1905

Died 10/15/21

Readfor the second time and referred to committee 4/12/21

HB 1223

SB 1367

HB 1182

SB 1224

Signed by Governor 5/14/21

Substituted for companion House bill 4/21/21

Signed by Governor 5/17/21

Companion House bill substitute 4/29/21

c. Excluding transgender youth from athletics

State	Bill Number	Status
AL	HB 391	Signed by Governor
AR	SJR 16 SB 354 SB 450	Died 10/15/21 Signed by Governor 3/29/21 Signed by Governor 4/29/21
AZ	SB 1637	Read for the first time 6/30/21
CT	SB 324 HB 6128	Referred to committee 1/25/21 Referred to committee 1/29/21
FL	HB 935 HB 1475 SB 2012 S 1028	Died in subcommittee 4/30/21 Died in committee 4/30/21 Died in committee 4/30/21 Approved by Governor 6/1/22
GA	HB 276 HB 372 SB 266	Read for the second time 2/8/21 Read for the second time 2/11/21 Read for the second time 3/5/21
HI	HB 1304	Referred to committee 2/1/21
IA	HF 184	Introduced and referred to committee 1/22/21
KS	SB 208	Postponed until 2022
KY	SB 106 HB 471	Died 4/2/21 Died 4/2/21
LA	HB 542 SB 156	Referred to commitee 4/12/21 Senate voted to override the Governor's veto 7/20/21; House failed to override the Governor's veto 7/21/21
ME	HP 682	Died 7/19/21
MI	SB 218	Referred to committee 3/10/21
MN	HF 350 HF 352 HF 1657	Referred to committee 1/28/21 Referred to committee 1/28/21 Referred to committee 2/25/21
MO	HB 1077 HJR 56 SB 503 SB 9 SB 740	Referred to committee 2/18/21 Referred to committee 2/18/21 Read for the second time and referred to committee 3/4/21 Read for the second time and referred to committee 6/26/21 Prefiled 12/1/21
MS	SB 2536	Approved by Governor 3/11/21
MT	HB 112	Signed by Governor 5/7/21
ND	HB 1298	Filed with Secretary of State 4/27/21
NH	HB 198	Executive Session 10/14/21
NJ	S 3540	Introduced and referred to committee 3/11/21
NM	HB 304	Referred to committee 2/18/21
OH	HB 61 SB 132 SB 187	Referred to committee 2/4/21 Referred to committee 3/17/21 Passed with amendments 6/24/21
OK	SB 331 SB 2	Read for the second time and referred to committee 2/2/21 Passed in Senate 3/1/21; Passed in House 4/20/21
PA	HB 972	Referred to committee 4/5/21
SC	SB 531 HB 4608	Referred to committee 2/9/21 Prefiled and referred to committee 11/17/21
SD	HB 1217	Veto override failed 3/29/21
TN	HB 3 SB 228	Signed by Governor 3/26/21 Signed by Governor 3/26/21
TX	SB 29 SB 373 HB 1458 HB 3455 HB 4042 HB 4043 HB 90 HB 10 HB 25	Passed in Senate 4/15/21; Read for the second time in House 5/25/21 Read for the first time and referred to committee 3/9/21 Read for the first time and referred to committee 3/5/21 Read for the first time and referred to committee 3/22/21 Left pending in committee 4/20/21 Read for the first time and referred to committee 3/29/21 Filed 1st Special Session; died 8/6/21 Filed 3rd Special Session; referred to comittee 9/27/21 Signed by Governor 10/25/21
UT	HB 302 HB 11	Died 3/5/21 Prefiled 12/13/21
WI	AB 195 AB 196 SB 322 SB 323	Read for the third time and passed in Assembly 6/16/21; Read for the first time and referred to committee in Senate 6/21/21 Read for the third time and passed in Assembly 6/16/21; Read for the first time and referred to committee in Senate 6/21/21 Public hearing held 5/26/21 Public hearing held 5/26/21
WV	HB 2141 HB 2676 HB 2734 HB 3293 SB 341	Referred to committee 2/10/21 Referred to committee 2/23/21 Referred to committee 2/24/21 Signed by Governor 4/28/21 Referred to committee 2/18/21

d. Restrictions on Identification Documents

State	Bill Number	Status
MT	LC 2997 /SB 280	Signed by Governor 4/30/21
SD	HB 1076	Died in committee 2/5/21

e. Other school or curriculum restrictions

State	Bill Number	Status
AZ	HB 2011	Prefiled 12/7/21
MO	HB 1755 HB 645	Prefiled 12/1/21 Prefiled 12/1/21
OK	SB 1142	Active 2/7/22
SC	SB 900	Prefiled and referred to committee 12/6/21

f. Other Anti-Trans bills

State	Bill Number	Status
AR	HB 1749	Died 10/15/21
AZ	HB 2710	Read for the second time 2/3/21
IA	SF 167 HF 272 HF 326	Subcommittee recommends passage 2/16/21 Introduced and referred to committee 1/27/21 Introduced and referred to committee 2/2/21
KY	HB 336	Died 4/2/21
ND	HB 1476	Withdrawn from further consideration 1/21/21
SC	HB 4605	Prefiled and referred to committee 11/17/21

Religious Exemption Bills

a. Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs)

State	Bill Number	Status
AR	HJR 1024 SJR 14	Died 10/15/21 Reviewed by Governor 4/30/21
IA	HF 170 SF 436	Introduced 1/22/21 Subcommittee recommends passage 3/2/21
IN	HB 1503	Died in committee 2/23/21
MT	SB 215	Signed by Governor 4/22/21
NH	HB 440	Passed with amendment in House 4/9/21; Referred to committee in Senate 5/25/21
SD	SB 124	Signed by the Governor 3/10/21
WV	HB 2545	Referred to committee 2/16/21
WY	HB 264	Did not consider for introduction 3/8/21

b. Religious Exemptions in Healthcare Implicating LGBTQ People

State	Bill Number	Status
AR	SB 289	Signed by Governor 3/29/21
KY	SB 83	Died 4/2/21
MT	SB 245	Died in process 4/29/21
NC	SB 515	Referred to committee 4/6/21
NM	SB 323	Introduced and referred to committee 2/1/21
SC	HB 3518	Introduced, read for the first time, and referred to committee 1/12/21
SD	HB 1247	Committee vote failed 2/24/21
TX	HB 1424 SB 1674 SB17	Placed on general sate calendar 5/13/21 Read for the first time and referred to committee 3/24/21 Introduced 1st Special Session 7/7/21

c. Religious Exemptions in Adoption & Foster Care

State	Bill Number	Status
IA	HF 170	Introduced 1/22/21
KY	HB 524	Died 4/2/21
SC	H 3878	Introduced, read for the first time, and referred to committee 2/11/21
WV	SB 13	Introduced and referred to committee 2/10/21

d. Religious Exemptions in Schools and Student Organizations

State	Bill Number	Status
MO	SB 332	Read for the second time and referred to committee 2/4/21

e. Other Religious Exemption Bills

State	Bill Number	Status
IA	HF 170	Introduced and referred to committee 1/22/21
MA	HD 3468	Referred to committee in House 3/29/21; Concurred in Senate 3/29/21
ND	HB 1476	Withdrawn from further consideration 1/21/21

Bills Pre-Empting Local Protections

These bills prevent cities and other local government entities from passing nondiscrimination protections that are more expansive than the protections offered at the state level, including protections for LGBTQ people.

Other Anti-LGBTQ Bills

State	Bill Number	Status
AR	SB 389	Delivered to Governor 4/1/21
IN	SB 288	Read for the second time 2/22/21
IN	SB 289	Read for the first time and referred to committee 1/11/21
MO	HB 786 HB 1693	Referred to committee 3/4/21 Prefiled 12/1/21
OK	SB 615 HB 1004	Read for the second time and referred to committee 2/2/21 Second reading referred to commitee 2/13/21
TN	SB 1208 SB 1229 HB 529	Passed on second consideration and referred to committee 2/22/21 Signed by Governor 5/3/21 Comparable Senate bill substituted 4/14/21
WI	AB 14 SB 31	Referred to committee 3/16/21 Read the second time and referred to committee 3/16/21

LGBTQ Equality Bills

a. Nondiscrimination protections

State	Bill Number	Status
AK	HB 17	Referred to committee 5/5/21
ID	SB 1030	Referred to committee 1/25/21
KY	HB 130 HB 116	Died 4/2/21 Died 4/2/21
MO	HB 1760 HB 1737	Prefiled 12/1/21 Prefiled 12/21/21
MS	SB 2089 HB 806 HB 807	Died in committee 2/2/21 Died in committee 2/2/21 Died in committee 2/2/21
NE	LB 120	Hearing scheduled 2/26/21
SC	HB 3183	Referred to committee 1/12/21
TX	SB 233 HB 188 HB 191	Read for the first time and referred to committee 3/3/21 Read for the first time and referred to committee 2/25/21 Placed on general state calendar 5/13/21

b. Protections in healthcare

State	Bill Number	Status
HI	SB 752	Referred to committee 1/27/21
WA	SB 5313	Signed by Governor 5/12/21

c. Allowing updated gender markers on ID

State	Bill Number	Status
AZ	SB 1163	Read for the second time 1/19/21
CA	AB 218 AB 439	Enrolled and presented to the Governor 9/17/21 Approved by the Governor 7/9/21
IL	HB 9	Read for the third time and passed in the House 4/20/21; Referred to committee in Senate 7/16/21
MA	HD 153	Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to another committee in House 7/28/21; Concurred in Senate 3/29/21
MI	HB 5349	Introduced and referred to committee on 9/29/21
NH	HB 295	Heard on the floor 4/7/21
NY	S 4402	Signed by Governor 6/25/21
OK	HB 2108	Referred for second reading 2/2/21
TX	SB 210 HB 338	Read for the first time and referred to committee 3/3/21 Read for the first time and referred to committee 2/25/21

d. Sex work decriminalization bills

State	Bill Number	Status
CA	SB 357	Read for the third time and amended 9/12/21
CT	HB 5934	Referred to committee 1/28/21
NY	A 849 S 3075 S 2878	Referred to committee 1/6/21 Referred to committee 1/27/21 Referred to committee 1/26/21

e. Other good bills

State	Bill Number	Status
AZ	HB 2652	Read for the first time 5/24/21
CA	AB 1041 AB 1094 SB 225 SB 379	Ordered to inactive file 9/9/21 Approved by the Governor on 9/16/21 Hearing canceled 4/5/21 Hearing 5/20/21
HI	SB 618	Passed second reading as amended and referred to committee 2/19/21
NE	LB 231	Active 1/5/22
NY	A 7701A/S 677	Amended and recommitted to Correction 5/13/21