It has been one hell of a year for gay marriage. In 2014, 17 new states legalized same-sex marriage, in addition to the 16 states in which it was already legal. This means that almost twice as many states currently allow gay marriage than have it banned. While this is obviously something to celebrate, it’s also important to remember that same-sex marriage is not the be all, end all for LGBT rights. There are still several battles that need to be won beyond the fight for marriage equality.



1. Reciprocity

Reciprocity is the legal term for one state recognizing the policies and laws of another. Reciprocity is pivotal in the fight for equal rights and in determining whether the unions of same-sex couples performed in states where same-sex marriage is legal are recognized in states where same-sex marriage is outlawed.

2. Rights of Gay Parents

Every state has laws on LGBT and joint adoptions. Utah and Mississippi have legal bans prohibiting same-sex couples from adopting children. According to Lambda Legal, “about half of all states permit second-parent adoptions by the unmarried partner of an existing legal parent.” In addition to this, a handful of state courts have ruled these second-parent adoptions not permissible under state law, which leaves parents in those states legally unrecognized or severely disadvantaged when it comes to courtroom battles with ex-partners. Ultimately, the children suffer in places that place obstacles to same-sex adoption. Isn’t hurting the children the last thing we want?

3. LGBT Conversion Therapy

Tent of Abraham

Conversion therapy is a controversial tactic believed by many to treat homosexuality and issues of gender identity through religion. While every major medical association in the United States and the World Health Organization have come out against conversion therapy, calling it harmful and ineffective, only two states – California and New Jersey – have effectively enacted bans on conversion therapy.

4. Discrimination Against Transgender People

Transgender people receive daily discrimination in all sectors of society including employment, education and housing. According to Injustice at Every Turn, only 18 states have laws in place prohibiting employers from discriminating based on gender identity. Transgender individuals are four times more likely than the general public to live below the poverty line. They tend to receive daily harassment from police, are regularly denied official documents they require and attempt suicide 40 percent more often than the rest of the general population.

5. International LGBT Rights

There are still 79 nations around the world where homosexuality is illegal. Being found out as a homosexual in any of these countries could mean life imprisonment or even execution.

In early 2014, the world turned its eyes on Russia, where an anti-gay propaganda bill was signed into law. The law made it illegal to educate young people on homosexuality, but when enacted, it was cited in stifling gay pride parades and protests against the anti-gay law. It also brought about an increase in anti-gay hate crimes in Russia that was well publicized and incited anger around the world. While the mistreatment of LGBT people in Russia has faded from the American media since the Sochi olympics, the discrimination persists.

6. Bullying and Suicide Among LGBT Youth

Bullying of, and suicide among LGBT youth has reached epidemic levels in the last few decades. A 2007 study by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) found that 86 percent of LGBT teens report being harassed at school. LGBT teens are three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts.

While 49 states have enacted anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying legislations, 33 states don’t distinctly protect LGBT students in their anti-bullying laws. Montana is the only state to not have enacted any anti-bullying laws. Eight states even have “promo homo laws,” which prohibit school faculty from discussing LGBT issues in a positive light, including sexual health and HIV/AIDS.

7. Protection from Employer Discrimination

Only 21 states have laws in place protecting LGBT people from workplace discrimination, meaning about 52 percent of LGBT Americans live in a state that does not have a law in place protecting them from workplace discrimination and harassment. This is a problem that forces many LGBT Americans to hide their identities and lie in the workplace so as to keep their jobs.

8. Blood Donations from Gay Men

Men who seek to donate blood are banned from doing so if they have had sex with another man after 1977, the beginning of the AIDS crisis in the United States. The FDA upholds this ban because, as they say, “MSM (men who have sex with men) are, as a group, at increased risk for HIV, hepatitis B and certain other infections that can be transmitted by transfusion.” Opponents to this ban claim that it is based on homophobia and not based on any valid medical concern since all donations are rigorously tested for blood-transferable diseases anyway.

9. LGBT Acceptance in Sports

In 2014, we saw three American athletes come out: Jason Collins of the NBA, Robbie Rogers of MLS and Michael Sam of the NFL. In addition to these first monumental steps toward LGBT inclusion in professional sports, the NHL partnered with the You Can Play Project, a nonprofit that works to ensure respect and equality for all professional athletes. This makes the NHL the most LGBT-inclusive professional sports league in the world. At the end of the year, The International Olympic Committee updated their discrimination policies to include protection of athletes against discrimination based on sexual orientation. While much, much more still needs to be done to combat homophobia in sports, 2014 proved to be a step toward progress.