Past Legislation Affecting LGBT Rights Across the Country 2020
Last updated 3/20/2020
Many state legislatures are now suspended or closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will update this tracker as major new developments occur.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in America face discrimination in their daily lives. While more states every year work to pass laws to protect LGBTQ people, we also continue to see state legislatures advancing bills that target transgender people, pre-empt local protections, and allow the use of religion to discriminate.
*Note: Bills are reported as Active below if they were introduced in their states' 2019 legislative sessions and have carried over to 2020. The status date indicates the convening of the state's 2020 session or the most current activity on a particular bill.
View 2019 Session bills.
View 2018 Session bills.
Go to LGBTQ Equality Bills.
Anti-LGBTQ Bills:
Anti-Trans Bills
These measures target transgender and nonbinary people for discrimination, such as by barring access to or even criminalizing the use of appropriate facilities, including restrooms, restricting transgender students’ ability to fully participate in school and sports, barring healthcare for transgender youth, allowing religiously-motivated discrimination against trans people, or making it more difficult for trans people to get identification documents with their name and gender.
See Anti-trans bills by state (map format)
a. Prohibiting heathcare for transgender youth
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| AL | SB 219 | Referred to committee 3/10/20 |
| AL | HB 303 | Introduced 2/27/20 |
| CO | HB 20-1114 | Postponed Indefinitely 2/13/20 |
| FL | Died in committee 3/14/20 | |
| FL | Died in committee 3/14/20 | |
| GA | HB 1060 | Introduced 2/27/20 |
| IA | HF 2272 / SF 2213 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 2/7/20, 2/11/20 |
| ID | Referred to Committee 2/11/20 | |
| KY | HB 321 | Referred to Committee 1/28/20 |
| MO | Public Hearing Completed 3/2/20 | |
| MS | SB 2490 | Died in Committee 3/3/20 |
| OH | HB 513 | Referred to committee 3/10/20 |
| OK | Referred to Committee 2/10/20 | |
| SC | Introduced 1/14/20 | |
| SD | Passed by House 1/29/20; Deferred to 41st legislative day 2/10/20 | |
| SD | SB 93 | Withdrawn 2/4/20 |
| TN | HB 2576 | Hearing scheduled 3/17/20 |
| TN | SB 2215 | Referred to Committee 2/10/20 |
| UT | HB 449 | Filed for bills not passed 3/12/20 |
b. Single-Sex Facility Restrictions
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| KY | Posted in Committee 2/21/20 | |
| MS | SB 2240 | Died in Committee 3/3/20 |
| TN | SB 1499 | Active 5/1/19; House Bill substituted (carryover from 2019) |
| TN | HB1247 | Active 5/1/19 (carryover from 2019) |
c. Excluding transgender youth from athletics
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| AL | Introduced; Referred to Committee 2/11/20 | |
| AL | HB 35 | Passed in Committee 2/20/20 |
| AZ | HB 2706 | Transmitted to Senate 3/4/20 |
| CO | HB 1273 | Postponed Indefinitely 2/13/20 |
| GA | Prefiled 12/19/19 | |
| IA | HF 2202 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/31/20 |
| ID | HB 500 | Signed by Speaker and President 3/18/20 |
| IN | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/16/20 | |
| KS | HB 2589 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 2/7/20 |
| KY | SB 114 | Referred to Committee 1/27/20 |
| LA | SB 172 | Referred to committee 3/9/20 |
| MO | Public Hearing Conducted 2/19/20 | |
| MO | Hearing Conducted 2/25/20 | |
| MS | SB 2240 | Died in Committee 3/3/20 |
| NH | Died in committee 3/10/20 | |
| NH | Died in committee 3/10/20 | |
| SC | S 1087 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 2/6/20 |
| TN | SB 2077 / HB 1572 | Referred to Committee 2/6/20; Hearing cancelled 3/17/20 |
| WA | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/13/20 | |
| WV | HB 4564 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/28/20 |
d. Restrictions on Identification Documents
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| ID | H 509 | Signed by Speaker and President 3/18/20 |
| IN | SB 74 | Referred to Committee 1/9/20 |
e. Other Anti-Trans bills
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| AZ | Prefiled 1/2/20 | |
| AZ | HB 2361 | Introduced 1/15/20 |
| IA | HF 2164 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/29/20 |
| IL | HB 4645 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 2/5/20 |
| MO | SB 988 | Referred to Committee 3/5/20 |
| PA | HB 2144 | Referred to Committee 12/18/19 |
| SD | HB 1215 | Withdrawn 2/24/20 |
Religious Exemption Bills
a. Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs)
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| IN | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/15/20 | |
| IA | Subcommittee Recommends Passage 2/13/20 | |
| WV | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/8/20 |
b. Religious Exemptions in Healthcare Implicating LGBTQ People
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| IA | HF 2273 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 2/7/20 |
| IA | SF 2193 | Referred to Subcommittee 2/11/20 |
| IA | SF 2194 | Referred to Subcommittee 2/11/20 |
| IN | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/9/20 | |
| KY | Referred to committee 3/17/20 | |
| OK | SB 1515 | Referred to Committee 2/6/20 |
| SD | SB 109 | Passed by Senate 2/24/20 |
c. Religious Exemptions in Adoption & Foster Care
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| GA | SB 368 | Referred to Committee 2/18/20 |
| IA | SF 2194 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 2/11/20 |
| IA | HF 2273 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 2/7/20 |
| MO | Read Second Time 1/9/20 | |
| TN | House Bill Substituted; Signed by Governor 1/24/20 | |
| TN | Signed by Governor 1/23/20; Published 2/18/20 |
d. Religious Exemptions in Schools and Student Organizations
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| MO | Referred to Committee 2/13/20 |
e. Other Religious Exemption Bills
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| CO | Postponed Indefinitely 2/13/20 | |
| IA | SF 2194 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 2/11/20 |
| IA | HF 2273 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 2/7/20 |
| MA | Carryover from 2019 | |
| MO | HB 2572 | Introduced; Referred to Committee 3/1/20 |
| TN | SB 364 | Referred to Committee 2/19/20 |
| TN | SB 2625 / HB 2410 | Assigned to Committee 2/10/20; Hearing cancelled 3/18/20 |
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 |
| AK | Active 2/20/19 (carryover from 2019) | |
| AZ | Introduced 1/8/20 | |
| SD | HB 1215 | Withdrawn 2/24/20 |
| TN | Referred to Committee 2/10/19 |
LGBTQ Equality Bills
a. Nondiscrimination protections
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| AK | HB 82 | Carryover from 2019 |
| AZ | Introduced 1/13/20 | |
| FL | Died in committee 3/14/20 | |
| FL | Died in committee 3/14/20 | |
| IN | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/9/20 | |
| KY | Referred to Committee 1/13/20 | |
| LA | SB 49 | Introduced; referred to committee 3/9/20 |
| MI | Carryover from 2019 | |
| MO | Read Second Time 1/9/20 | |
| MS | HB 710 | Died in Committee 3/3/20 |
| MS | HB 765 | Died in Committee 3/3/20 |
| NE | Prioritized 2/19/20 | |
| OH | Carryover from 2019 | |
| OH | Carryover from 2019 | |
| PA | HB 1404 | Carryover from 2019 |
| PA | Carryover from 2019 | |
| SC | Carryover from 2019 | |
| VA | Enrolled bill sent to Governor 3/12/20 | |
| VA | Incorporated HB 1663 by Voice Vote 1/28/20 | |
| VA | Signed by Speaker and President 3/19/20 | |
| VA | Failed in House with amendment 3/12/20 | |
| WI | Carryover from 2019 | |
| WV | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/8/20 | |
| WV | Motion to Discharge Rejected 2/18/20 | |
| WV | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/8/20 | |
| WV | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/9/20 |
b. Protections in healthcare
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| MD | SB 738 | Hearing Scheduled 2/26/20 |
| VA | Enrolled bill sent to Governor 3/17/20 |
c. Allowing updated gender markers on ID
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| AZ | HB 2867 | Referred to Committee 2/12/20 |
| CT | HB 5290 | Hearing Scheduled 3/9/20 |
| HI | SB 568 | Referred to committee 3/9/20 |
| ID | SB 1387 | Referred to committee 3/9/20 |
| VA | Enrolled bill sent to Governor 3/12/20 | |
| VA | Enrolled bill sent to Governor 3/12/20 | |
| VA | Enrolled bill sent to Governor 3/12/20 |
d. Other good bills
| State | Bill Number | Status |
| MO | Read Second Time 1/9/20 | |
| VA | Left in Committee 2/11/20 | |
| VA | Approved by Governor 3/4/20 | |
| VT | Introduced; Referred to Committee 1/7/20 |