Least Safe US States for LGBTQ+ People Revealed
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
As Pride Month begins, a new report highlights widening disparities in how LGBTQ+ Americans experience safety and equality across the country. From access to health care and legal protections to the tone set by state leadership, conditions vary drastically.
Out Leadership's 2025 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index, now in its seventh year, ranks all 50 states on how welcoming they are to LGBTQ+ residents. The findings come at a time of mounting legislative pressure, with hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in statehouses nationwide and public debates over flag bans and trans rights intensifying.
The annual index, compiled with input from the Williams Institute and the Movement Advancement Project, serves as a reference for corporate leaders and policymakers.
The Context
Pride 2025 arrives amid a heightened political and legislative backlash against LGBTQ+ rights. Utah became the first state to explicitly ban LGBTQ+ flags from government buildings and schools, Idaho and Montana following suit with restrictions.
People take part in The New Queens Pride Parade in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights in the New York City borough of Queens, NY, June 1, 2025. June is traditionally considered Pride Month.
People take part in The New Queens Pride Parade in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights in the New York City borough of Queens, NY, June 1, 2025. June is traditionally considered Pride Month.
Sipa via AP Images/Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA
The flag bans are part of a wider trend—at least 31 flag-related bills have been introduced across 17 states, many of which explicitly or implicitly prohibit LGBTQ+ symbols on public property.
More than 700 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in 2025 alone, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Pride organizers say the wave of legislation—coupled with the Trump administration's federal rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives—has led major corporate sponsors such as Mastercard, PepsiCo, and Nissan to withdraw support from some of the nation's largest Pride events.
Despite financial losses and heightened security concerns, organizers in red and blue states insist that Pride celebrations will continue, emphasizing their importance as public expressions of identity and solidarity.
The report aims to help business leaders "understand and respond to these risks and opportunities," noting that "multinational companies face operational and reputational risks when they do business in places where the legal and/or social atmosphere makes it difficult for LGBTQ+ people to live openly."
Which States are Ranked the Safest for LGBTQ+ Americans?
The 2025 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index underscores a clear geographic trend: states on the West Coast and in the Northeast dominate the top of the rankings, while many Southern and Plains states lag behind.
These states were ranked highest in the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index:
Massachusetts—93.67
New York—93.67
Connecticut—92.27
New Jersey—90.00
Vermont—89.50
Rhode Island—89.43
California—88.57
Washington—86.53
Maryland—84.83
Oregon—83.97
According to the index, Massachusetts and New York tied for first place in 2025, each earning a score of 93.67 out of 100. Connecticut (92.27), New Jersey (90.00), and Vermont (89.50) round out the top five safest states for LGBTQ+ residents.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, United States Representative, takes part in The New Queens Pride Parade in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights in the New York City borough of Queens, NY, June 1, 2025. June is traditionally considered...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, United States Representative, takes part in The New Queens Pride Parade in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights in the New York City borough of Queens, NY, June 1, 2025. June is traditionally considered Pride Month. More
Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/AP Images
Many of these states have enacted expansive nondiscrimination protections, bans on conversion therapy, inclusive health care policies, and active support from state leadership. Massachusetts is led by Governor Maura Healey, the country's first openly lesbian governor, whose administration has prioritized LGBTQ+ equality in policy and practice.
Maryland and Washington, D.C.-adjacent states, also performed well. Maryland's score rose to 84.83, thanks to robust family support and workplace protections.
Which States are Ranked the Least Safe for LGBTQ+ Americans?
These states were ranked the lowest in the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index:
Arkansas—29.50
South Carolina—32.15
Louisiana—33.00
South Dakota—34.80
Mississippi—36.60
West Virginia—37.43
Oklahoma—37.62
Montana—38.10
Missouri—39.03
Alabama—39.40
Arkansas ranks as the least safe state for LGBTQ+ people for the third consecutive year, followed by South Carolina, Louisiana and South Dakota at the bottom of the rankings. Alabama's score was slightly higher at 39.40, yet still placed it in the bottom ten.
Many of these states also saw drops due to expanded religious exemptions and bans on updating gender markers on official documents including birth certificates and driver's licenses. (USA Today)
Oklahoma, which scored just 37.62, has seen a notable increase in residents seeking to relocate, including LGBTQ+ families leaving due to threats or fear of discrimination. Nonprofit organizations such as TRACTION in Washington state and Rainbow Railroad in Canada have seen surging requests for support from LGBTQ+ people in red states. (USA Today)
Out Leadership emphasizes that political leadership is a strong predictor of state scores. In contrast to bottom-tier states, those with inclusive policies often benefit from proactive governance. For instance, Michigan's rise in the rankings was linked to legislation signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer expanding hate crime protections.
The index's authors note that the gap between high- and low-ranking states is widening, creating geographic polarization not just in law, but also in lived experiences.
"While the top ranked states for LGBTQ+ equality broadly are staying strong, the bottom ranked states decreased in score significantly. This continues to signal increasing polarization across the country in political and cultural attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community," said Brian Sims, Managing Director, Public Policy and Government Affairs for Out Leadership.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
26 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump injects a new dose of uncertainty in tariffs as he pushes start date back to Aug. 7
WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Donald Trump was promising the world economy would change on Friday with his new tariffs in place. It was an ironclad deadline, administration officials assured the public. But when Trump signed the order Thursday night imposing new tariffs, the start date of the punishing import taxes was pushed back seven days so the tariff schedule could be updated. The change in tariffs on 66 countries, the European Union, Taiwan and the Falkland Islands was potentially welcome news to countries that had not yet reached a deal with the U.S. It also injected a new dose of uncertainty for consumers and businesses still wondering what's going to happen and when. Trump told NBC News in a Thursday night interview the tariffs process was going 'very well, very smooth.' But even as the Republican president insisted these new rates would stay in place, he added: 'It doesn't mean that somebody doesn't come along in four weeks and say we can make some kind of a deal.' Trump has promised that his tax increases on the nearly $3 trillion in goods imported to the United States will usher in newfound wealth, launch a cavalcade of new factory jobs, reduce the budget deficits and, simply, get other countries to treat America with more respect. The vast tariffs risk jeopardizing America's global standing as allies feel forced into unfriendly deals. As taxes on the raw materials used by U.S. factories and basic goods, the tariffs also threaten to create new inflationary pressures and hamper economic growth — concerns the Trump White House has dismissed. As the clock ticked toward Trump's self-imposed deadline, few things seemed to be settled other than the president's determination to levy the taxes he has talked about for decades. The very legality of the tariffs remains an open question as a U.S. appeals court on Thursday heard arguments on whether Trump had exceeded his authority by declaring an 'emergency' under a 1977 law to charge the tariffs, allowing him to avoid congressional approval. Trump was ebullient as much of the world awaited what he would do. 'Tariffs are making America GREAT & RICH Again,' he said Thursday morning on Truth Social. Others saw a policy carelessly constructed by the U.S. president, one that could impose harms gradually over time that would erode America's power and prosperity. 'The only things we'll know for sure on Friday morning are that growth-sapping U.S. import taxes will be historically high and complex, and that, because these deals are so vague and unfinished, policy uncertainty will remain very elevated,' said Scott Lincicome, a vice president of economics at the Cato Institute. 'The rest is very much TBD.' Trump initially imposed the Friday deadline after his previous 'Liberation Day' tariffs in April resulted in a stock market panic. His unusually high tariff rates announced then led to recession fears, prompting Trump to impose a 90-day negotiating period. When he was unable to create enough trade deals with other countries, he extended the timeline and sent out letters to world leaders that simply listed rates, prompting a slew of hasty agreements. Swiss imports will now be taxed at a higher rate, 39%, than the 31% Trump threatened in April, while Liechtenstein saw its rate slashed from 37% to 15%. Countries not listed in the Thursday night order would be charged a baseline 10% tariff. Trump negotiated trade frameworks over the past few weeks with the EU, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines — allowing the president to claim victories as other nations sought to limit his threat of charging even higher tariff rates. He said Thursday there were agreements with other countries, but he declined to name them. Asked on Friday if countries were happy with the rates set by Trump, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said: 'A lot of them are.' The EU was awaiting a written agreement on its 15% tariff deal. Switzerland and Norway were among the dozens of countries that did not know what their tariff rate would be, while Trump agreed after a Thursday morning phone call to keep Mexico's tariffs at 25% for a 90-day negotiating period. The president separately on Thursday amended an order to raise certain tariffs on Canada to 35%. European leaders face blowback for seeming to cave to Trump, even as they insist that this is merely the start of talks and stress the importance of maintaining America's support of Ukraine's fight against Russia. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has already indicated that his country can no longer rely on the U.S. as an ally, and Trump declined to talk to him on Thursday. India, with its 25% tariff announced Wednesday by Trump, may no longer benefit as much from efforts to pivot manufacturing out of China. While the Trump administration has sought to challenge China's manufacturing dominance, it is separately in extended trade talks with that country, which faces a 30% tariff and is charging a 10% retaliatory rate on the U.S. Major companies came into the week warning that tariffs would begin to squeeze them financially. Ford Motor Co. said it anticipated a net $2 billion hit to earnings this year from tariffs. French skincare company Yon-Ka is warning of job freezes, scaled-back investment and rising prices. Federal judges sounded skeptical Thursday about Trump's use of a 1977 law to declare the long-standing U.S. trade deficit a national emergency that justifies tariffs on almost every country. 'You're asking for an unbounded authority,' Judge Todd Hughes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit told a Justice Department lawyer representing the administration. The judges didn't immediately rule, and the case is expected to reach the Supreme Court eventually. The Trump White House has pointed to the increase in federal revenues as a sign that the tariffs will reduce the budget deficit, with $127 billion in customs and duties collected so far this year — about $70 billion more than last year. There are not yet signs that tariffs will lead to more domestic manufacturing jobs, and Friday's employment report showed the U.S. economy now has 37,000 fewer manufacturing jobs than it did in April. On Thursday, one crucial measure of inflation, known as the Personal Consumption Expenditures index, showed that prices have climbed 2.6% over the 12 months that ended in June, a sign that inflation may be accelerating as the tariffs flow through the economy. The prospect of higher inflation from the tariffs has caused the Federal Reserve to hold off on additional cuts to its benchmark rates, a point of frustration for Trump, who on Truth Social, called Fed Chair Jerome Powell a 'TOTAL LOSER.' But before Trump's tariffs, Powell seemed to suggest that the tariffs had put the U.S. economy and much of the world into a state of unknowns. 'There are many uncertainties left to resolve,' Powell told reporters Wednesday. 'So, yes, we are learning more and more. It doesn't feel like we're very close to the end of that process. And that's not for us to judge, but it does — it feels like there's much more to come.' Boak writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Paul Wiseman contributed to this report.
New York Post
26 minutes ago
- New York Post
Obama's Russiagate meddling: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 2, 2025
The Issue: Reports that ex-President Barack Obama advanced the Russian collusion narrative in 2016. Kudos for Martin Gurri's piece on 'Obamagate' ('From Russia with nothing to speak of,' July 29) It's ironic that the framing of President Trump as a 'threat to democracy' was a red herring for the actual harm being done to us by President Barack Obama and his acolytes. His abuse of his high office was even more egregious than President Richard Nixon's, and similarly has greatly discredited our nation. It's irrelevant that this treachery didn't rise to the crime of treason. The defamation is every bit as damaging and wrongful. And to top it off, the legacy media remained complicit throughout. 'Democracy dies in darkness,' indeed! James Evans Worcester, Mass. We, the 'democracy-threatening,' 'stupid,' 'racist' MAGA citizens, are finally breathing the rarefied air of truth. Thank you, Martin Gurri, for your detailed and revealing piece on the Russiagate hoax. From ancient times to the present, the lust for power has destroyed many cultures. Now, may free speech, strong advocates and honor protect us as we unravel a historic example of hubris run amok. The waxed wings of Icarus melted, and he died, but our democracy will survive. Abby Rudnick Farmingdale, NJ In 2020, the Senate Intelligence Committee, headed by Marco Rubio, stated that the committee unequivocally found absolutely no evidence that Donald Trump and/or his campaign colluded with the Russian government in the 2016 election. However, it did conclude that there was irrefutable evidence of Russian attempts at meddling. And that is exactly what President Obama went on television and told the American public. This new obfuscation is just another sophomoric Trump administration attempt at deflection from what he is doing to this country, and what he is hiding. Lou Maione Manhattan Mainstream media were enamored with Obama through all eight years of his presidency, without ever questioning his performance. This was a love affair, pure and simple. And it remains so to this day, even as we now know that Obama directed a false operation to discredit his successor's victory. History is written by the victors, except when a paper trail exposes their betrayals, as Trump is now revealing about Obama. Paul Bloustein Cincinnati, Ohio Now that we know more about what happened, it's not really surprising to learn of Obama's involvement in Russiagate. After all, he rose out of the corrupt Chicago machine, and then callously lied to millions of people about their health insurance and access to doctors, and now we learn about this. Michelle Obama told us that her mother didn't trust anyone who took more than they needed. Look at the harm Barack has done, and now he has a huge net worth, owning mansions in Martha's Vineyard and Hawaii. Michelle's mom was right after all, wasn't she? Gary Mottola Brooklyn So the legacy media now want the public to move on from the Russia collusion hoax perpetrated by them. They were even given awards for this scam. I say: No! Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel should now investigate what the Obama administration did in that meeting on Dec. 9, 2016 at the White House. Republicans can never forget what was done to their elected president. Andrew Franza Dallas, Pa. No one should be shocked about the recent revelations that Obama was the mastermind behind the Russia collusion hoax. In February 2017, Paul Sperry wrote a column for The Post ('Bam-lined lie,' Feb. 19, 2017) in which he revealed the existence of Obama's 'Organizing For Action' (OFA), which included the recruitment of thousands of footsoldiers to sabotage the Trump presidency. It is doubtful whether any American today has learned anything new. J. J. Crovatto Ramsey, NJ Want to weigh in on today's stories? Send your thoughts (along with your full name and city of residence) to letters@ Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, accuracy, and style.
CNN
27 minutes ago
- CNN
Keeping Them Honest: The Fact Remains - Anderson Cooper 360 - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
Keeping Them Honest: The Fact Remains Anderson Cooper 360 45 mins President Trump deals with unwelcome facts on the economy by firing the official in charge of gathering the facts. The markets are not fooled and we're keeping him honest. Plus, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice in sex trafficking minors as young as 14 years old, is transferred to one of the cushiest spots in the federal prison system.
