LGBTQ Rights

From Stonewall in 1969 to Bostock in 2020, every decade expanded LGBTQ protections. Then three Supreme Court rulings in 12 months narrowed them.

Stonewall launched the movement in 1969. The APA stopped classifying homosexuality as a disorder in 1973. The Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws in 2003, legalized marriage in 2015, and extended workplace protections in 2020. Then in 2025, Skrmetti upheld care bans. In 2026, Chiles put conversion therapy protections at risk. Marriage support dropped 6 points from its 2022 peak.

Whether a trans teenager can access medical care depends on where they live. 24 states currently enforce bans. Courts blocked bans in Montana and Arkansas. 15 states and DC passed shield laws protecting families who travel for care. Two more states have executive-order protections that a future governor could reverse.

Between June 2025 and March 2026, the Supreme Court issued three rulings that collectively weakened LGBTQ legal protections more than any 12-month period since Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986.

The federal government added pressure beyond the courts. The administration threatened to pull Medicare and Medicaid funding from hospitals providing gender-affirming care. At least 12 hospitals stopped offering care even in states without bans, including Baystate in Massachusetts.

An executive order signed January 20, 2025, suspended enforcement of discrimination protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. The "X" gender marker on passports was revoked. Kansas SB 244 invalidated trans and nonbinary driver's licenses overnight. Nine states now block gender marker updates on birth certificates.

State courts are now the primary battleground. Montana blocked its care ban under the state constitution in May 2025. Kansas followed in May 2026. Read our coverage of healthcare bans state by state, the conversion therapy ruling, and families relocating to shield-law states.

20% of the 1,020 bills introduced in 2025 used identical template language. Four organizations with a combined $485 million annual budget (from IRS Form 990 filings) draft the model legislation, distribute it to state legislatures, and fund $215 million in TV ad campaigns.

92% of anti-LGBTQ bills fail every year. They have failed for 15 years running. But the 8% that pass affect real people in real states. 65% of Fortune 500 companies dropped LGBTQ equality ratings under pressure from the same organizations that fund the bills.

Read our reporting on who funds anti-trans legislation and corporate Pride rollbacks.

Col. Bree Fram served 22 years in the Space Force as an astronautical engineer. She deployed to Iraq and Qatar. On June 6, 2026, the highest-ranking openly trans officer in the U.S. military was placed on administrative leave. Maj. Kara Corcoran, 17 years of service, two tours in Afghanistan, Ranger and Airborne school, was also forced out. A federal appeals court ruled the ban unconstitutional on June 2, calling it "arbitrary and based on animus."

In Texas, a 14-year-old named Rhyan and his mother Mia waited over a year for an out-of-state doctor appointment after SB 14 took effect. Families pay $4,500 every six months for medications insurance will not cover. Some have been investigated by state child welfare agencies for supporting their children.

The Trevor Project surveyed 16,000 LGBTQ+ youth in 2025. 36% seriously considered suicide in the past year. 1 in 10 attempted it. 44% who wanted mental health care could not get it.

The 988 LGBTQ+ youth crisis line handled 70,000 contacts per month before it was defunded in July 2025. The Trevor Project pivoted to independent funding to keep services running.

GLAAD's ALERT Desk tracked 1,042 anti-LGBTQ hate incidents in 2025. 76 violent assaults. 22 threats of mass violence. 15 arson attempts. A 5% increase from 2024.

These assaults and threats rarely follow a direct order. The sustained rhetoric branding LGBTQ people as groomers and predators is what researchers call stochastic terrorism, language that makes violence statistically likely without anyone commanding it.

Family acceptance reduces suicide attempts by 40%. Same-sex marriage legalization was associated with 134,000 fewer adolescent suicide attempts per year.

For two decades, public support for LGBTQ rights moved in one direction. That changed. Gallup's May 2026 survey found marriage equality support at 65%, down 6 points from the 71% peak in 2022. The share of Americans who say gay and lesbian relations are morally acceptable dropped to 62%, the lowest since 2016.

The gap between "support rights" and "accept identity" is widening for the first time in a generation. 72% of Americans support nondiscrimination laws. But only 38% say changing gender is morally acceptable, down 8 points in 5 years.

The decline is concentrated among Republicans. GOP support for marriage equality dropped from 66% to 41% between 2022 and 2026.

Lambda Legal raised $285 million, the largest legal campaign in LGBTQ movement history. The LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed 249 candidates for 2026 elections. Amy Heutmaker won office in Ohio, the state's first trans elected official. Seven states improved LGBTQ legal protections in 2025.

San Antonio painted rainbow crosswalks on sidewalks after the state ordered them off the streets. The United Methodist Church removed all restrictions on LGBTQ ministry.

Kentucky's Supreme Court ruled that adoption is open to all couples regardless of marriage status, securing same-sex adoption statewide. A Massachusetts judge ordered the State Department to issue passports with gender identity markers, including X designators. Montana and Kansas courts blocked care bans under state constitutions. 22 states now recognize nonbinary IDs.

Lesbian bars rebounded from 15 to 37 since 2019. 134,000 fewer adolescent suicide attempts occur each year since marriage equality. Pride 2026 drew larger crowds than ever. When corporate sponsors pulled back, local businesses replaced them.

Read about affirming churches growing faster than ever, $1.7 trillion in economic impact, queer spaces that survived, and Amy Heutmaker winning in Ohio.

1. Write your representative using the letter and call script below. It references the evidence on this page. Text RESIST to 50409 to send it now.
2. Contact your state legislators about pending anti-LGBTQ bills. 793 are under consideration in 43 states. Find your state page for local bills.
3. Support legal defense. Lambda Legal raised $285 million for the largest LGBTQ legal campaign in history. The ACLU is challenging care bans in 18 states.
4. Read the full issue coverage at the LGBTQ Rights hub for subtopic-level analysis, related briefs, and state-specific actions.

Crisis resources. 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 for immediate support. The LGBTQ+ youth specialization was defunded July 2025. Trevor Project — 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678678, or chat online. Now independently funded. Trans Lifeline — 877-565-8860, peer support by trans people.