LGBTQ Equality Maps Updates: June 2024
In this rapidly changing landscape, MAP’s LGBTQ Equality Maps provide a detailed snapshot of the current state of LGBTQ laws and policies in the United States. See below for state-level policy updates as of June 10, 2024.
▸▸ State Policy Updates
Bans on medical care for transgender youth
See our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here, including a chronology and details on effective dates, exceptions, lawsuits, and more.
There are now 25 states with a ban or restriction on medically necessary, prescribed health care for transgender youth. Nearly 2 in 5 (39%) transgender youth live in states with these bans. However, lawsuits have been filed against the bans in 17 of these states.
- May 21: South Carolina became the 25th state to ban best practice medical care for transgender youth. While the law includes a “weaning off” clause for youth currently on medication, it also makes it a felony crime to provide some forms of medical care for youth.
Public funding or coverage of transgender related health benefits
For state employee benefits, see our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.
For Medicaid coverage, See our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.
- May 21: South Carolina’s new ban on best practice medical care for transgender youth also bans any public funding from being used to cover or provide medical care for transgender people of any age. This includes state employees, such as government workers or teachers, their families, and individuals on Medicaid.
This public funding ban is especially contentious, as just last month the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals — which includes South Carolina — ruled that similar bans in public funding were unconstitutional. Legal challenges to this new law are expected.
Forced or encouraged outing of transgender youth in schools
See our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.
- May 9: Tennessee enacted a new law requiring school employees to out transgender students to their parents if the student “requests an accommodation” to affirm their gender identity, such as asking to be addressed by their chosen name or pronouns.
- May 21: South Carolina’s new law banning medical care for transgender youth included a forced outing provision.
Regulating gender to allow discrimination against transgender and nonbinary people
See our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.
- May 31: Oklahoma enacted a law regulating gender by defining “sex” throughout state law. This builds on the state’s similar executive order from last year.
- June 3: Louisiana became the 10th state to enact a government gender regulation law or executive order.
Bans on transgender people’s use of bathrooms and facilities
See our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.
- June 3: Louisiana’s new government gender regulation law includes a ban on transgender people using bathrooms and facilities according to their gender identity in numerous areas, including:
— K-12 schools
— domestic violence shelters managed by the state’s Department of Children and Family Services
— public college dormitories
— public prisons and jails (including juvenile facilities)
“Shield” or “refuge” laws protecting transgender health care
See our Equality Map here and our supporting citations and additional information here.
- May 16: Maryland became the 16th state (including D.C.) with a law or executive order protecting access to transgender-related health care. This legislation builds on the state’s earlier executive order from 2023.
Bills awaiting governors’ decisions
In New Hampshire, multiple anti-LGBTQ bills are awaiting the Republican governor’s decisions. These include:
- A ban on transgender students playing school sports (in grades 5–12) according to their gender identity.
- A ban on some surgical care for transgender youth.
- A curriculum censorship law requiring parental notification of LGBTQ-related curricula and allowing parents to remove their children from that curricula.
In Louisiana, all three of the state’s explicitly anti-LGBTQ bills this session have been passed and two are still awaiting the Republican governor’s decisions. These include:
- A bill restricting transgender students’ pronoun use in school, which effectively forces the outing of transgender youth in schools.
- A “Don’t Say LGBTQ” curriculum censorship law that applies to grades K-12. The bill also bans school employees from discussing their own sexual orientation or gender identity.
▸▸ MAP’s LGBTQ Equality Bill Tracker
To continue highlighting trends across the country, included below are our current bill tracking counts for anti-LGBTQ bills in state legislatures.
Note: these counts may differ from other organizations or public counts for a variety of reasons, and this work is greatly facilitated by the work of other organizations including the ACLU and the Equality Federation and their member state groups.
As of June 1, 2024, the count of anti-LGBTQ bills so far in 2024 is:
- At least 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced across at least 40 states.
- At least 40 bills redefining “sex” to enable discrimination against transgender people have been introduced across at least 20 states.
