This map shows the overall policy tallies (as distinct from sexual orientation or gender identity tallies) for each state, the District of Columbia, and the five populated U.S. territories. A state’s “policy tally” counts the number of laws and policies within the state that help drive equality for LGBTQ people. The major categories of laws covered by the policy tally include: Relationship & Parental Recognition, Nondiscrimination, Religious Exemptions, LGBTQ Youth, Health Care, Criminal Justice, and Identity Documents.



Click on any state to view its detailed policy tally and state profile, or click "Choose an Issue" above to view maps on nearly 40 different LGBTQ-related laws and policies.

High Overall Policy Tally ( 15 states, 0 territories + D.C. )

Medium Overall Policy Tally ( 4 states, 1 territory )

Fair Overall Policy Tally ( 6 states, 0 territories )

Low Overall Policy Tally ( 15 states, 4 territories )

Negative Overall Policy Tally ( 10 states, 0 territories )

Note that the tallies look only at existing laws—they do not look at the social climate, nor do they take into account implementation of each state’s laws. The tally also does not reflect the efforts of advocates and/or opportunities for future change. States with low tallies might shift rapidly with an influx of resources, whereas those states with high tallies might continue to expand equality for LGBTQ people in ways that can provide models for other states.



Each of the nearly 40 LGBTQ-related laws and policies that MAP tracks earns a score (positive for protective, or negative for harmful). See a state's profile to see its detailed scores across all these policies. For each state, these individual policy scores are then added up to produce a summary tally score. This table shows how a state's tally score determines its categorization.



Category Sexual Orientation Tally

Gender Identity Tally

Total Tally

High

(75-100% of points possible)

14 to 18.5

15 to 20

29 to 38.5

Medium

(50-74.9% OF POINTS POSSIBLE)

9.25 to 13.75

10 to 14.75

19.25 to 28.75

Fair

(25-49.9% of points possible)

4.75 to 9

5 to 9.75

9.75 to 19

Low

(0-24.9% of points possible)

0 to 4.5

0 to 4.75

0 to 9.5

Negative

(<0 points)

<0

<0

<0

Total points possible 18.5

20

38.5

Recommended citation:

Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps Snapshot: LGBTQ Equality By State." https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/. Accessed [date of access].

Percent of Adult LGBTQ Population Covered by Laws

*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.