WASHINGTON — As we begin LGBTQ+ Pride Month, attacks on LGBTQ+ equality and freedoms have continued to be a mainstay Republican priority in state legislatures this year. Discriminatory and hateful anti-LGBTQ+ laws are being proposed at historic rates, and these bills are advancing rapidly across the country in state legislatures with Republican majorities. The DLCC and state legislative Democrats are on the frontlines of defending and advancing LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms by building and winning Democratic power in state legislatures. The 2024 elections will be especially consequential for queer, trans, and nonbinary peoples’ futures, and the DLCC will leave no stone unturned to elect Democrats who will protect our fundamental freedoms.
34 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been signed into law this year in 12 states, all with GOP legislative majorities.
- In Utah, six anti-LGBTQ+ bills were signed into law this year. These new laws include a transgender bathroom ban, that will prevent transgender people from accessing bathrooms in public spaces, including schools and government buildings, and a law to prevent child custody determinations from considering whether or not a parent supports a child’s gender identity.
- The Tennessee legislature passed nine anti-LGBTQ+ bills into law this year, and Idaho Republicans passed five anti-LGBTQ+ bills into law. These include a bill that forces schools to out students to their parents and one that prevents state agencies from requiring foster or adoptive parents to affirm or support a child’s sexuality or gender orientation.
GOP legislators in Republican-led states that the DLCC is targeting this year have focused on attacking trans youth in schools instead of legislating solutions to improve lives.
- New Hampshire’s slim GOP-majority legislature passed three toxic bills restricting LGBTQ+ rights. An anti-trans sports ban, a bill that would ban hospitals from providing and families from seeking gender-affirming care, and a bill that would lead to classroom censorship on topics of gender and sexuality were passed.
- Arizona GOP legislators pushed a transgender bathroom ban and a bill that would remove any mention of gender in state law and replace it with a strict definition of biological sex. Democratic Gov. Hobbs vetoed both bills, and Democrats are just 2 seats away in each chamber from taking control and ensuring neither of these bills have a chance of passing again.
- Pennsylvania Republicans introduced an anti-trans sports ban and a bill that would prohibit child custody determinations from considering whether or not someone seeking custody respects the child’s gender identity. The Pennsylvania House Democratic majority, which the DLCC protected in a series of multiple special elections over the past cycle, ensured that these bills never saw the light of day. The GOP’s culture wars are unpopular and endanger the lives of the LGBTQ+ community.
As Republicans ramp up these attacks on LGBTQ+ people, the DLCC’s work has never been more important for making sure fundamental freedoms are protected. Electing Democrats to state legislatures is the only way to defend LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms, which are on the line in states across the country in 2024.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee National Press Secretary Sam Paisley issued the following statement:
“This Pride Month, when the right to be who you are and love who you love is celebrated, GOP state legislators will continue scheming up ways to legislate their bigotry into law. The Republican assault on LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms is taking place first and foremost via state legislatures and is only getting more extreme and emboldened. Republican legislators have advanced a stunning and historic number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in legislative sessions in recent years, proving that pushing dangerous and unpopular culture wars and fueling discrimination is still a top GOP priority.
“The DLCC is leading the fight to protect LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms in the states. We will continue to uplift LGBTQ+ legislators and Democratic champions of queer freedoms. The most effective plan for defending fundamental freedoms is electing state Democrats who are taking decisive action to defend LGBTQ+ rights and proudly tell the GOP that we refuse to go backward. Fundamental freedoms are on the line in November, and the DLCC will do everything in our power to win legislatures across the country.”
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the official Democratic Party committee dedicated to winning America’s state legislatures and building state infrastructure. 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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