Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in America face discrimination in their daily lives.  By the close of 2016, 20 states plus DC banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and an additional three states provided incomplete statewide nondiscrimination protections. All people – including those who are gay or transgender – should be treated fairly and equally by the laws of their state, and should have the opportunity to earn a living, access housing, and participate fully in society.  

In 2016, state legislatures across the country and Congress introduced some bills that would have protected LGBT people from discrimination, and others that would have rolled back existing protections or open the door to discrimination against gay and transgender people.  

VIEW ANTI-LGBT RELIGIOUS Exemption BILLS FROM THE 2016 LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS 

VIEW LGBT NONDISCRIMINATION AND ANTI-LGBT BILLS PENDING FOR THE 2017 LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS 

Click on the links below to learn more about the kinds of previously introduced bills and their implications.

Types of bills:

•  Affirmative Nondiscrimination Bills
• Comprehensive Protection
• Incomplete Protection
   
• Harmful Anti-LGBT Bills
• Religious Exemptions Bills
•  Bills Pre-empting Local Protections
• Anti-Transgender Bills
• Other Anti-LGBT Bills

Affirmative Nondiscrimination Bills

a.    Comprehensive Protection

Comprehensive nondiscrimination bills prevent discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity (or only gender identity if state law already covers sexual orientation), and do so in a range of contexts, including employment, housing, and public accommodations.  Comprehensive bills do not have overly broad religious exemptions or other carve-outs.

b.    Incomplete Protection

Incomplete nondiscrimination bills include those that leave out gender identity protections, those that do not prevent discrimination in all key contexts, and those that contain broad religious exemptions language or carve-outs for sex-segregated facilities.

Harmful Anti-LGBT Bills

Several types of harmful bills were introduced in state legislatures in 2016 that either eroded existing protections for LGBT people or opened the door for greater discrimination.

a.    Religious Exemptions Bills

There were a variety of types of bills that would have allowed religion to be used to discriminate against gay and transgender people in virtually all aspects of their lives. Click here for our page that tracked these bills across the country.

b.    Bills Pre-Empting Local Protections

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

c.    Anti-Transgender Bills

We also increasingly saw bills that targeted transgender people for discrimination, such as barring access to or even criminalizing the use of appropriate facilities, including restrooms, or restricting transgender students’ ability to fully participate in school. 

d.     Other Anti-LGBT Bills