In just the last two years, state Republicans have introduced more than 1,000 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state legislatures.
WASHINGTON — The Republican National Convention has kicked off with anti-LGBTQ+ extremism at the forefront. As national Republicans tout hateful rhetoric, the scale of anti-LGBTQ+ bills and proposals in GOP state legislatures across the country is alarming and expansive. A second Trump term would only further enable these attacks – raising the stakes of elections up and down the ballot this November.
According to the ACLU, more than 1000 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures between 2023 and 2024, a historic and alarming number. State Republicans have taken to censoring school books, banning trans kids from playing sports, restricting drag performances, and rewriting legislation to exclude LGBTQ+ people from discrimination protections. While Democratic majorities have stopped many of these proposals in their tracks, dozens of these anti-LGBTQ+ bills have sadly become law, all thanks to GOP legislative majorities.
The fight for LGBTQ+ equality and freedom is at a critical juncture in state legislatures, where Democratic power can make a real difference in safeguarding LGBTQ+ people from harmful GOP policies, especially if Donald Trump becomes president again. In 2023, the DLCC’s legislative victories in Michigan and Minnesota allowed Democrats to make great strides in protecting LGBTQ+ rights, ensuring equal rights, and banning conversion therapy. In 2024, the newly-elected Democratic legislature in Virginia created a state law that aims to protect same-sex marriage.
Democratic majorities in state legislatures are a firewall that will continue to protect LGBTQ+ people by passing state-level Equal Rights Amendments, advancing protections to provide gender-affirming care, and stopping Republicans’ extreme proposals.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Interim Communications Director Sam Paisley issued the following statement:
“While Republicans adopt a party platform that advances the scale of their policies and plans that hurt LGBTQ+ Americans, the record in the states is clear. Trump’s MAGA allies in state legislatures have introduced more than 1,000 anti-LGBTQ+ bills over the last two years, and these attacks are only growing.
“Democratic-led states can be a bulwark against a potential Trump presidency that seeks to undermine LGBTQ+ rights, and even if Trump loses, we must build Democratic power in the states to stand up against the army of MAGA allies ready to carry out his agenda. The DLCC has a plan in place to build Democratic power that prevents a MAGA takeover of our statehouses. We just launched a historic ‘Summer of the States’ campaign – a first-of-its-kind $10 million investment and public awareness push to boost Democrats this November. Democratic power in the states is the best way to block the worst anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and pass protections that ensure queer people are safe, respected, and free.”
The DLCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in the states and setting the national agenda at the state level. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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