Updated the First of every Month
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in America face discrimination in their daily lives. A majority of states don’t have explicit laws prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. While more states every year strive to pass laws to protect their citizens from discrimination and advance LGBTQ equality, we continue to see lawmakers sponsor bills that invoke religion, pre-empt local protections, and target transgender and nonbinary people to allow, and in some cases mandate, discrimination.
All people – including those who are LGBTQ – should be treated fairly and equally by the laws of their state, and should have the opportunity to earn a living, access housing and healthcare, and participate fully in society.
- Expanding Rights for LGBTQ People
- Anti-LGBTQ Bills
*Note: Bills are reported as Active below if they were introduced in their states' 2018 legislative sessions and have carried over to 2019. The status date indicates the convening of the state's 2019 session or the most current activity on a particular bill.
For 2018 Session bills, click HERE.
Expanding Rights for LGBTQ Peoplea. Comprehensive Nondiscrimination Protection
Comprehensive nondiscrimination bills prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (or only gender identity if state law already covers sexual orientation), in a range of contexts, including employment, housing, and public accommodations. Comprehensive bills do not have overly broad religious exemptions or other carve-outs that allow discrimination against LGBTQ people.
State
Bill Number
Status
AKHB 823/8/2019: Referred to State Affairs IDS 10153/29/2019: DEAD BILL
IN
SB 402
4/29/2019: DEAD BILL
KYHB1643/30/2019: DEAD BILL
MO
SB 172
5/30/2019: DEAD BILL
MSHB 2514/8/2019: DEAD BILLNDHB 14414/26/2019: DEAD BILL
ND
HB 23034/26/2019: DEAD BILL
NY
AB 747
SB 1047
1/15/2019: Substituted by SB 1047
1/25/2019: Signed by Governor
NY
AB 1592
SB 1857
1/15/2019: Referred to Education
1/16/2019: Referred to Education
SC
H 3239
1/8/2019: Referred to Committee on Judiciary
WISB 3087/25/2019: Fiscal Estimate Received WIAB 3197/25/2019: Fiscal Estimate Received VAHB 24212/23/2019: DEAD BILLb. Incomplete Nondiscrimination Protection
Incomplete nondiscrimination bills include those that lack gender identity protections, those that do not prevent discrimination in all key contexts, and those that contain broad religious exemptions language or carve-outs, including for sex-segregated facilities.
State
Bill Number
Status
AZ
SB 12494/27/2019: DEAD BILLAZ HB 25464/27/2019: DEAD BILLCTSB 7926/5/2019: DEAD BILL FLSB 4305/3/2019: DEAD BILLFLSB 4385/3/2019: DEAD BILLFLHB 4855/3/2019: DEAD BILLKSSB 842/5/2019: Referred to Committee on JudiciaryKSHB 21302/4/2019: Referred to Committee on Federal & State Affairs ILHB 3640 3/29/2019: Re-referred to Rules Committee
IN
SB 344
4/29/2019: DEAD BILL
LAHB 3026/6/2019: DEAD BILLMASB 8586/7/2019: Hearing Scheduled for 6/17/2019MDHB 2954/8/2019: DEAD BILLMO
HB 96
5/30/2019: DEAD BILL
MO
HB 208
5/30/2019: DEAD BILL
MO
HB 350
5/30/2019: DEAD BILL
MSSB 24144/8/2019: DEAD BILLMTHB 465 4/22/2019: DEAD BILLNCSB 4554/2/2019: Referred to Committee on Rules & Operations of the Senate NCHB 514 4/1/2019: Referred to Committee on Rules,Calendar & Operations of the House NELB 6273/5/2019: Motion to Overrule the Chair, Failed NHSB 2637/24/2019: Signed by the Governor on 7/19, Effective 9/17/2019NH SB 3835/2/2019: Referred to Committee, Motion Adopted NHHB 6087/29/2019: Enrolled 6/27/2019NMHB 2273/13/2019: Signed by Governor NV SB 364 6/3/2019: DEAD BILLOHSB 112/19/2019: Referred to CommitteePASB 2242/8/2019: Referred to Labor & Industry
SC
H 3239
1/8/2019: Referred to Committee on Judiciary
SCH 37861/29/2019: Referred to Committee on Judiciary TXSB 1515/27/2019: DEAD BILLTX HB 1885/27/2019: DEAD BILL TXHB 2445/27/2019: DEAD BILL TXHB 2545/27/2019: DEAD BILL TXSB 850 5/27/2019: DEAD BILL TXSB 8865/27/2019: DEAD BILLTXHB 26925/27/2019: DEAD BILL VASB 12322/23/2019: DEAD BILL
VA
SB 1109
HB 1823
2/23/2019 DEAD BILL
2/23/2019: DEAD BILL
VA
SB 1287
HB 1864
2/23/2019: DEAD BILL
2/23/2019: DEAD BILL
VAHB 20672/23/2019: DEAD BILL VAHB 26772/23/2019: DEAD BILL WVSB 1163/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVSB 137 3/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVSB 1383/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVSB 3913/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVSB 4843/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVHB 20783/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVHB 23493/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVHB 27333/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVHB 27413/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVHB 2755 3/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVHB 27633/9/2019: DEAD BILL WVHB 3124 3/9/2019: DEAD BILL c. Identification Documents Bills
State
Bill Number
Status
AZHB 22904/27/2019: DEAD BILL
CO
HB 1039
5/9/2019: Final Act
CTSB 3886/5/2019: DEAD BILL
HI
SB 429
3/7/2019: Passed 1st Reading, Referred to TRN, JUD
HIHB 5682/13/2019: Report Adopted, Passed Second Reading, Referred to CommitteeHIHB 11655/1/2019: Signed by GovernorMAHB 36641/22/2019: Referred to State Admin & Regulatory Oversight Committee NHHB 6697/15/2019: Law without Signature 7/11/2019, Effective 1/1/2020 NJ A 48702/14/2019: DEAD BILL NJA 48781/15/2019: DEAD BILL NY SB 5168
4/12/2019: Referred to Codes
NY AB 7197 4/12/2019: Referred to Governmental Operations VASB 16432/23/2019: DEAD BILL VAHB 184642/23/2019: DEAD BILL d. Healthcare Access Bills
State
Bill Number
Status
VA
SB 12872/23/2019: DEAD BILL e. Other Pro-Equality Bills
State
Bill Number
Status
MI SB 2724/17/2019: Referred to Committee on Families, Seniors & Veterans MI SB 273 4/17/2019: Referred to Committee on Families, Seniors & Veterans MISB 2744/17/2019: Referred to Committee on Families, Seniors & Veterans MI HB 44694/17/2019: Referred to Committee on Government Operations MI HB 4470 4/17/2019: Referred to Committee on Government OperationsMI HB 4471 4/17/2019: Referred to Committee on Government OperationsNM HB 388 3/16/2019: DEAD BILL NY AB 52572/8/2019: Referred to Correction Harmful anti-LGBTQ Bills:Anti-Transgender Bills
These measures target transgender and nonbinary people for discrimination, such as by barring access to or even criminalizing the use of appropriate facilities, including restrooms, restricting transgender students’ ability to fully participate in school, authorizing healthcare discrimination against trans people, allowing religiously-motivated discrimination against trans people, or making it more difficult for trans people to get identification documents with their name and gender.
a. Single-Sex Facility Restrictions
State
Bill Number
Status
INHB 15254/29/2019: DEAD BILL MAHB 14271/22/2019: Referred to the Committee on Judiciary MA HB 1504 1/22/2019: Referred to the Committee on Judiciary
TN
SB 1297 5/9/2019: Comp. Became Pub. Ch. 251 TN HB 11515/9/2019: Pub. Ch. 251 — Effective 7/1/2019 WAHB 20882/18/2019: First Reading, Referred to Public Safetyb. Anti-Trans Religious Exemptions
State
Bill Number
Status
MSHB 11764/8/2019: DEAD BILL TXHB 10355/27/2019: DEAD BILL c. Restrictions on Identification Documents
State
Bill Number
Status
d. Restrictions on Access to Healthcare
State
Bill Number
Status
AKHB 53/13/2019: Judiciary Replaces EDC Referral IL HB 35153/29/2019: Re-referred to Rules Committee NVSB 1246/3/2019: DEAD BILL TX SB 11075/27/2019: DEAD BILL e. Other Anti-Trans bills
State
Bill Number
Status
IN HB 12084/5/2019: Signed by Governor KSHB 23202/13/2019: Referred to Committee on Judiiciary NCHB 652/14/2019: Referred to Committee on Rules
NH
HB 163
1/31/2019: Inexpedient to Legislate
SD
HB 49
3/29/2019: DEAD BILL
SDHB 1108
3/29/2019: DEAD BILL
SDHB 1205 3/29/2019: DEAD BILL SDHB 12253/29/2019: DEAD BILL TXHB 19105/27/2019: DEAD BILL TXSB 23695/27/2019: DEAD BILL Religious Exemption Billsa. Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs)
RFRAs make it easier for people to demand exemptions to generally applicable laws by allowing lawsuits challenging any governmental policy (such as non-discrimination laws) that someone says substantially burdens their religious beliefs. The government must prove that enforcing the policy is the least restrictive way of furthering a compelling governmental interest.
State
Bill Number
Status
GASB 2212/28/2019: Senate Read and Referred IASF 240 2/19/2019: Reported out of Committee WVHB 29853/9/2019: DEAD BILL b. First Amendment Defense Acts (FADAs)
Allow anyone - including government employees, contractors, and for-profit businesses – to act with impunity based on religious beliefs or moral convictions regarding marriage for same-sex couples, sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage, and transgender people. This would open the door to unprecedented taxpayer-funded discrimination. For example, government employees, government contractors or grantees – including those providing important social services like homeless shelters or drug treatment programs -- could discriminate against married same-sex couples and their families, single mothers, or anyone who has a sexual relationship outside of a marriage.
State
Bill Number
Status
MAHB 13921/22/2019: Referred to Committee on the Judiciary TXHB 19785/25/2019: Signed in the Senate & House, Sent to Governor TX HB 31725/27/2019: DEAD BILL TXHB 44973/27/2019: DEAD BILL c. Healthcare Exemptions
Would allow those with religious objections to refuse care and undermine professional standards that apply equally to everyone. For instance, a high school guidance counselor could refuse to counsel a gay teenager, citing their sincerely held religious beliefs.
State
Bill Number
Status
TXSB 855/27/2019: DEAD BILL TXHB 28925/27/2019: DEAD BILL TXHB 43575/27/2019: DEAD BILL d. Adoption & Foster Care Exemptions
Would allow adoption and foster care agencies to refuse to provide any adoption or foster care services that would conflict with the religious beliefs of the agency, regardless of the best interests of the children in their care.
State
Bill Number
Status
ARSB 3525/10/2019: DEAD BILL
KY
HB 160
3/30/2019: DEAD BILL
TNHB 8364/4/2019: Received from House, Passed on 1st Consideration TNSB 8484/16/2019: Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee TNHB 11523/5/2019: Taken Off Notice for Calendar in Children & Families for 3/12/2019TNSB 13044/30/2019: Senate Reset on First Calendar of 2020e. Marriage-Related Exemptions
These bills create different types of religious exemptions regarding marriage. Some of these bills apply to religious organizations, while others authorize discrimination by businesses or government officials. Some bills explicitly target same-sex couples and others would allow discrimination based on religious beliefs about any marriage.
State
Bill Number
Status
CO HB 11405/4/2019: DEAD BILLKSHB 23202/13/2019: Referred to Committee on Judiciary NC HB 652/14/2019: Referred to Committee on Rules NJA 28642/1/2018: DEAD BILL TXHB 21095/27/2019: DEAD BILL TX HB 45125/2/2019: DEAD BILL f. Exemptions for Schools and Student Organizations
These bills would require public universities and schools to allow discrimination, such as by providing funding to student groups that exclude members because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
State
Bill Number
Status
MO SB 314 5/30/2019: DEAD BILL MOHB 8375/30/2019: DEAD BILLMOHB 9275/30/2019: DEAD BILL TXSB 8805/27/2019: DEAD BILLg. Other Religious Exemption Bills
State
Bill Number
Status
TNSB 12825/27/2019: DEAD BILLTXSB 17
5/27/2019: DEAD BILL
TXHB 19785/27/2019: DEAD BILL TXHB 44975/27/2019: DEAD BILL Bills Pre-Empting Local Protections
These bills prevent cities and other local government entities from passing nondiscrimination protections that are more expansive than the protections offered at the state level, including protections for LGBT people.
State
Bill Number
Status
FLHB 8475/3/2019: DEAD BILLOther Anti-LGBTQ Bills
State
Bill Number
Status
TN HB 1369 2/13/2019: Assigned to Children & Families Subcommittee TXSB 11095/27/2019: DEAD BILL