Marriage Religious Exemptions
Targeted state religious exemption laws permit state and local officials to decline to marry couples of whose marriage they disapprove.
Housing Nondiscrimination
Housing nondiscrimination laws protect LGBTQ people from being unfairly evicted, denied housing, or refused the ability to rent or buy housing on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This map shows state housing nondiscrimination laws that explicitly enumerate sexual orientation and/or gender identity as protected classes, as well as states that explicitly…
Public Accommodations Nondiscrimination
Public accommodation nondiscrimination laws protect LGBTQ people from being unfairly refused service, denied entry to, or otherwise discriminated against in public places based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Public accommodation laws generally cover anywhere someone is when they are not at home, work, or school, including retail stores, restaurants, parks, hotels, doctors’ offices,…
Credit Nondiscrimination
Credit and lending nondiscrimination laws protect people from being unfairly denied credit and lending services, such as opening a bank account, taking out a loan, and more. This map shows state credit and lending nondiscrimination laws that explicitly enumerate sexual orientation and/or gender identity as protected classes, as well as states that explicitly interpret existing…
Positive Laws
States with the freedom to marry do not ban same-sex couples from entering into legal marriages. Some states also offer comprehensive relationship recognition, such as domestic partnerships or civil unions, to same- and different-sex couples. However, most states still have constitutional amendments, statutes, or both banning marriage for same-sex couples, even after the 2015 Supreme…
Defining Sex
As part of a broader, coordinated attack on transgender people across the country, these newly emerging laws explicitly regulate gender by defining “sex” throughout all state law to effectively allow discrimination against transgender people. These laws regulate gender and define sex as only male or female, typically based on a person’s presumed reproductive anatomy, chromosomes,…
Trans Shield Laws
Transgender people’s access to best-practice health care—sometimes also called gender-affirming care—is increasingly under attack. In response, a growing number of states are taking action to protect access to this medically necessary health care. These “shield” or “refuge” laws can vary from one state to the next, but their primary goal is to protect transgender people,…
