LGBTQ people are still at the mercy of a patchwork of state protections.
Susan MillerIn 2010, no states outlawed conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors, forbid health insurers from excluding transgender-related coverage or offered gender neutral options on licenses and birth certificates.Breakthroughs? Or evidence of a plodding pace on the road to LGBTQ equality?
Advocates hope rulings in three pivotal Supreme Court cases this year on whether it’s legal to fire workers because of sexual orientation or gender identity will cement a precedent for LGBTQ rights. They also will continue to press for passage of the Equality Act, which would make nondiscrimination a federal guarantee.But for now, LGBTQ people are at the mercy of a patchwork of state protections.
• In 2010, only 12 states and the district explicitly prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ people in employment, housing and public accommodations. By 2020, that number jumped to 21. “When we saw progress in marriage a decade ago, LGBTQ opponents realized that fight was over. All the rights and benefits that came along with marriage were solidified,” Goldberg said. “But it was a strategic move on part. Yes, you can go get married, but when you show up to get that license, we can say no – you have to go somewhere else.”In 2010, only one state had a religious exemption law. Now 13 states have those laws.
As LGBTQ individuals become more visible, attitudes shift and inspire change, Smith said. People “meet janitors, firefighters, accountants all living a life for themselves. Being out in everyday situations matters a great deal.”Nearly 4 million LGBTQ people live in rural America, and 'everything is not bias and awful'
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