Anti-LGBTQ Bills Proliferate In Republican-Controlled Statehouses

2022 has already seen an influx of anti-LGBTQ bills in statehouses across the U.S. The number of proposed bills targeting the community, and especially transgender people, is at a record-high 238.

Last year, out of the 268 bills that were introduced,  27 were passed. Seven have already been passed in the first quarter of 2022.

One of the seven includes the highly-publicized Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics, that restricts the education of sexual orientation and gender identity for kindergarten-age children through third grade. Supporters of the bill and similar bills argue that it allows parents the opportunity to teach their children about the topic themselves, along with upholding religious freedom. Opponents argue that it’s discriminatory to a whole group of people. Nineteen other states have proposed similar legislation.

While anti-LGBTQ legislation has increased, the public’s support of LGBTQ rights has as well. Seventy-nine percent say that they would back laws that protect people who identify as LGBTQ from job discrimination and accommodations, reported a Public Religion Research Institute survey published Thursday. Some advocacy groups say that the spike in anti-LGBTQ legislation is not a reflection of the public’s perspective, but more due to lobbying by right-leaning groups.

Around half of the proposed bills target the transgender population. According to the ACLU and Freedom for All Americans study, just three years ago in 2019, 37 percent of the bills focused on trans people. In 2021, that number had jumped to 80 percent. So far in 2022, 65 percent of proposed bills were anti-trans. Most of these bills block trans people from competing in sports with the gender they identify with.