Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2025
How state lawmakers are targeting LGBTQ rights
Overview
In the last few years states have advanced a record number of bills that attack LGBTQ rights, especially transgender youth. The ACLU is tracking these attacks and working with our national network of affiliates to support LGBTQ people everywhere.
While more states every year work to pass laws to protect LGBTQ people, state legislatures are advancing bills that target transgender people, limit local protections, and allow the use of religion to discriminate. The ACLU will not stop speaking out against these cruel attacks nationwide. LGBTQ people have a right to live in safety, to thrive, and to be treated with dignity.
How the ACLU Tracks Anti-LGBTQ Legislation:
Our legal and advocacy team works with ACLU affiliates and local organizations across the country to monitor state legislatures for bills targeting the rights of LGBTQ people. Each bill is reviewed by legal staff at the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project before being categorized on this site. The process by which bills become law or not differ in each state depending on state law and constitutions.
Learn how the ACLU tracks and identifies the anti-LGBTQ bills.
States
Just like Congress at the federal level, every state has a legislative body responsible for passing laws that impact their state residents. While some states have been at the forefront of advancing LGBTQ equality, state-level attacks on LGBTQ people, particularly transgender people, have escalated dramatically since 2015.
Click on a state in the map or table to show all the bills in that state.
Bill Numbers
The letters in front of the bill number refer to the legislative chamber the bill originated in:
Click on a bill number to go to its state government website with the bill's language and sponsors.
Issues
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Statuses
A bill's status shows how far along it is on the path to becoming a law:
- Introduced: The bill has been written, filed, and assigned a number.
- Advancing: The bill may be debated and may ultimately be voted on in state legislative chambers.
- Passed Into Law: If both the state House and Senate vote to pass the same language, the bill goes to the governor and if the governor signs it, it becomes law. If a bill is vetoed by the governor, the legislature may still vote to override that veto, in which case the bill would become law.
- Defeated: The bill is vetoed by the governor, didn't get enough votes, or is withdrawn.
A lawsuit has been filed challenging the bill. Click “View case info” under the status text to learn more.
In Our Own Voice
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Trump's Executive Orders Promoting Sex Discrimination, ExplainedTrump's Executive Orders Promoting Sex Discrimination, Explained
A new executive order lays out a plan to erase transgender people’s existence under the law -
FloridaDec 2024
LGBTQ Rights
Keohane v. DixonKeohane v. Dixon
On September 30, 2024, the Florida Department of Corrections rescinded its policy regarding treatment of gender dysphoria, which allowed for hormone therapy when deemed medically necessary, as well as access to clothing and grooming standards that accord with one’s gender identity. Under this new policy, grooming and clothing accommodations have been stripped away, and hormone therapy is not permitted unless an exception is deemed constitutionally required. The ACLU brought a class action challenging the policy. -
IdahoJan 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Robinson v. LabradorRobinson v. Labrador
Two incarcerated transgender women have sued the state of Idaho alleging that HB 688, a 2024 law barring state funding for gender-affirming medical care for transgender people, denies them access to the health care their doctors have prescribed for them and is a violation of their Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. They represent a class of all incarcerated folks within the state of Idaho who face the loss of hormone therapy due to HB 668. -
PodcastDec 2024
LGBTQ Rights
The Truth About Gender-Affirming Care with W. Kamau Bell, Nava Mau, and Dr. Susan LacyThe Truth About Gender-Affirming Care with W. Kamau Bell, Nava Mau, and Dr. Susan Lacy
In Our Words
The end goal of anti-trans legislation is denying transgender people the words to describe our experience, the means to express it safely, and the community and support we all deserve.
— Gillian Branstetter, Bio media@aclu.org