SafeHome, the expert research source on home security and safety, has released their third annual LGBTQ+ state safety report cards, rating states based on how they protect their queer communities.
The new report, published on May 29, rendered results that may not surprise you. SafeHome reported that at the end of 2023, 75 of 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across the country became laws. In 2022, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ Americans reached a five-year high.
SafeHome’s new scoring system takes into account legislative analysis and hate crime data sourced from the FBI. Apart from this information, the ranking is also based on 1,000 American LGBTQ+ individuals’ opinions and insights. These span topics of criminal justice rights, parenting, non-discrimination rights, health, and youth protections.
Using information from the Human Rights Campaign, SafeHome “tallied how many laws each state had in the above categories and weighted them based on their perceived impact on LGBTQ+ Americans.”
With consideration of all this data and information, SafeHome’s main findings indicated that Rhode Island, Delaware, and New Hampshire all received A+ ratings for LGBTQ+ safety due to their comprehensive pro-equality laws and low rates of hate crimes against queer folks. Conversely, Florida, South Dakota, and Wyoming were the worst states due to a high number of discriminatory laws and hate crime reports.
The study also found that 50% of states passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in 2023, and hate crimes against queer folk rose 10% between 2021 and 2022, with hate crimes against transgender people increasing by 40%.
Comparatively, Rhode Island and New Hampshire receive high scores on the Human Rights Campaign state report card rating, both having ample protections for LGBTQ+ people across the board. HRC’s report also shows states like Louisiana, Alabama, Idaho, and Indiana have barely any legal protections for queer people in any category.
According to SafeHome, in regards to safety, the five states that received the lowest scores were South Dakota, Florida, Wyoming, Ohio, and Alabama.
Though in some parts of the country the quality of life for LGBTQ+ people has improved with the Biden Administration, many are worried what may happen if former President Donald Trump wins the 2024 election. Despite this, hateful legislation continues to pervade small towns and cities around the country as bigoted lawmakers target transgender children, drag queens, and LGBTQ+ people of all identities.
