Pride month may be over, but there are still plenty of wins for the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate.
Of the more than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in 2023, as documented by organizations like the Trevor Project and the American Civil Liberties Union, only 80 have passed into law. As of the halfway point of 2024, of the 527 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced, only 41 have passed into law.
While these numbers may still seem daunting, it’s important to note that lawmakers trying to pass these laws have a low success rate — or, rather, queer activists trying to block them have a high success rate. Additionally, several states have passed laws protecting LGBTQ+ rights in education and health care so far this year.
“We’ve been successful as a community in sharing our experiences and our stories with our representatives and with local media,” Gabby Doyle, senior manager of state advocacy for The Trevor Project, told The Advocate. “We’ve been able to really get involved and I think the advocates have been really successful in making our voices and our stories really visible and letting people know that we’re here and that we’re not going to pass these bills in silence.”
This year alone, Washington state and Minnesota voted to institute comprehensive curricula covering LGBTQ+ history and identities, Colorado approved protections to ensure LGBTQ+ students’ identities are validated and not shared without permission, and Maine, Maryland, and Rhode Island each passed shield laws to protect young people’s access to gender-affirming care.
A clear divide exists in the US: it’s primarily blue states that pass laws protecting LGBTQ+ people, while it’s typically red states that restrict gay rights. “It’s unfortunate that we have states that get to pass these anti-LGBTQ bills because of the primary makeup of their legislatures,” Doyle said.
“LGBTQ young people, wherever they live and regardless of political climate, deserve to live in communities where they are supported, affirmed, and that accept and celebrate their LGBTQ identities,” she continued.
But Doyle noted that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to pass such legislation in Republican-leaning states: Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota all ended this year’s legislative session without passing any anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Doyle attributes this to hard work by advocates in each state and a decline in public interest in the issue.
“We know that even in states with more conservative political makeups, there are vibrant, beautiful queer communities. We know that there are advocates in every state,” she said, adding, “It shows us what are the issues that will lead to victory and what aren’t.”
Despite the disparity, negative news still seems to get more attention than positive developments. Doyle believes it’s important to understand and pay attention to the laws that affect our community, but recognizes that “it’s easy to become overwhelmed by just the amount of anti-LGBTQ legislation, let alone knowing what bills are being passed.”
“In a national survey this year, 90 percent of LGBTQ young people said they have been negatively affected by recent political discussions,” Doyle said, “so the opposite is also true: when they perceive legislation they actively support is being passed, it has a positive impact on their mental health.”
Doyle said sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back to calm yourself and connect with the community, “regardless of what the state is trying to do or what the state is enacting in a discriminatory way.”
“They can’t take away our collective community,” she said. “It’s so important for us to really focus on ourselves and our mental health. Especially when we know we’re in this for the long haul, we need to take care of ourselves first. I’m in this for the long haul, and if I can’t nourish myself and find peace and happiness with my community, I wouldn’t be able to continue doing this.”
For Doyle, it’s important that wins aren’t just remembered but actively celebrated as they are worthy of pride.
“We need to understand what’s at stake, but we also need to pause and celebrate what we’ve accomplished, because the LGBTQ community has played such a huge role in driving these victories and advocating for their community to make it happen,” she said. “And because of these victories, LGBTQ youth across the country will feel safer and more affirmed.”
