Best states for gays
State Equality Index 2024
Cookies in use
The Human Rights Campaign uses cookies to improve your site experience. By using this site, you agree to our use of cookies. To acquire more, please examine our Privacy Policy.
The Human Rights Campaign State Equality Index (SEI) is a comprehensive state-by-state report that provides a review of statewide laws and policies that alter LGBTQ+ people and their families.
The SEI rates all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. in six areas of rule and assigns the states to one of four different categories.
Check your state's scorecard by texting SEI to 472472 from your mobile phone. (msg & data rates may apply. Text End to quit, Aid for info.)
Articulate Categories
In these states, advocates fixate on raising back for basic Queer equality, such as non-discrimination protections in employment, housing and public accommodations. These states are most likely to contain religious refusal or other anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Advocates often further LGBTQ equality by focusing on municipal protections for Diverse people or opposite negative legislation that targets the Diverse community.
States in this category include:
Ala
United States LGBT Equality Index
Equality Index Methodology
Equaldex's Equality Index is a rating from 0 to 100 (with 100 existence the most equal) to help visualize the legal rights and public attitudes towards LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, gender non-conforming, queer, questioning, intersex...) people in each region. The Equality Index is an average of two indexes: the legal index and the public opinion Index.
Equality Index
Average of Legal Index and Public Opinion Index
Legal Index
The LGBT legal index measures the current legal status of 13 different issues ranging from the legal status of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, transgender rights, LGBT discrimination protections, LGBT censorship laws, and more. Each topic is weighted differently (for example, if same-sex marriage is illegal in a region, it would have a much bigger impact on the score than not allowing LGBT people to assist in the military). Each topic is assigned a "total possible score" and a "score" is assigned based the status of the law using a rating scale that ranges from 0% to 100% (for example, if homosexuality is legal, it would would obtain a score of 100, but if it's illegal, it would receve a
What are the safest places for gay and transitioned people? See where your state ranks
As Oklahoman legislators push to restrict transgender rights and overturn the 2015 Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage, Zane Eaves says his culture as a transgender dude has put a aim on his back in his home state.
One of 18,900 trans adults in Oklahoma, Eaves has received death threats, as has his wife of 10 years and their two children.
“All the hatred and political stuff going on” are driving this Oklahoma lifer from the place he was born and raised, Eaves, 35, said. He has only crossed the state line three times in his existence, but in recent weeks, he made the complicated decision to move his family to North Carolina to be closer to friends and allies.
“I am just trying to remain alive and keep my marriage,” Eaves said.
Oklahoma ranks 44th in the nation on a list released on June 2 of the most and least welcoming states for woman loving woman, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.More and more, the question of where LGBTQ+ people undergo safe is one of blue vs. red, according to advocacy group Out Leadership.
More: Find coverage for PriAre you looking for the best and worst states for LGBTQ travel right now? Here’s a list of the most LGBTQ-friendly states to visit with Trump back in office – and the ones where hostile laws construct it uncomfortable and potentially unsafe if you’re homosexual or trans.
US laws are changing so speedy right now that it’s hard to keep up. We hear about a hostile law in the news – but was that law passed or merely just proposed? Part of trip planning is finding out this knowledge now, before you’re stuck somewhere you may not want to be. I’ve been keeping tabs on anti-LGBTQ laws for the last few years while preparing to write my book on LGBTQIA move.
If you’re looking for the best states, decide New York, New England (minus New Hampshire), and the West Coast states.
If you’re looking for the worst states, Texas and Florida are the most hostile.
Keep reading for the full list of states that welcome Gay travelers and states to avoid in 2025.
The Best States for Queer Travel
To rank which states are the most LGBTQ-friendly in 2025, I considered two variables.
One, act these states have laws in place that preserve their LGBTQIA residen
Best and worst states for LGBTQ folks? Divide worsens after 'Don't Say Gay,' report says
Amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation, the gap between states that are welcoming to the LGBTQ people and those that are not is widening. The lack of progress may lead to a mind drain as workers opt areas that are more tolerant, according to a new business climate ranking given exclusively to USA TODAY.
New York had the most equitable climate for the LGBTQ community while South Carolina ranked the lowest, according to the fourth annual State Gay Business Climate Index from the global LGBTQ business advisory Out Leadership.
But while New York held the superior spot for the second consecutive year and South Carolina scored the worst for the third year in a row, the shifting scores of many states in between underline the nation's widening divisions around issues ranging from LGBTQ inclusion to reproductive rights, says Todd Sears, Out Leadership's founder and CEO.
"The states that are getting worse for LGBT people are also getting worse for women and for people of color,'' Sears says. "Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, all of those are states where reproductive r