It's Pride Month. Indiana ranks among worst, least welcoming states for LGBTQ+ people
It's Pride Month, a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. But some states in the U.S. are more welcoming than others.
Out Leadership, a gay advocacy group, recently created a map to depict where gay and transgender people face the least or most amount of discrimination and hardship in the nation.
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According to USA TODAY, Out Leadership has conducted the LGBTQ+ business climate index for six consecutive years, and all 50 states saw a drop in averages in the past two. By looking at the current treatment of LGBTQ+ people, such as governing policies and prevalent community attitudes, the organization was able to identify the best and worst spots for the gay and transgender community.
Here's what we know.
Best and worst states for gay, transgender people
New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut were at the top of the index with little to no discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons, while Arkansas received the lowest score. The average across all 50 states was 62.77 out of 100, compared to 63.48 in 2023 and 64.61 in 2022.
New York had the highest 2024 score of 93.67 while Arkansas scored 27, an all-time low in index history.
Indiana among least welcoming states for LGBTQ+ community
Indiana is considered of high risk for those in the LGBTQ+ community, along with Kentucky. Ohio was slightly lower risk, in the "notable" category. Illinois was labeled no risk; and Michigan as low risk.
Why is Indiana high risk for LGBTQ+ community?
USA TODAY reported that rankings were influenced by legislation in states including Indiana and Florida.
Over the past few years, Indiana legislators have unleashed an “onslaught” of laws targeting LGBTQ+ rights in the state. The Indiana General Assembly filed nearly two dozen anti-LGBTQ bills in 2023. Four went into law, enacting bans on gender transitions for minors, student pronoun changes and gender affirmation surgery in prisons, as well as protecting religious conversion therapy. Likewise, a couple of bills related to LGBTQ+ issues were introduced during the 2024 legislative session, but never passed.
A 2022 law banned transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams, and while Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill giving Indiana hate crime protections in 2019, the law notably does not include protections for gender or gender identity.
Back in 2015, Indiana passed a state version of the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, allowing corporations and individuals to assert religious rights and which religious objectors could have used to refuse service to same-sex couples. Gov. Mike Pence eventually amended the law thanks to pushback from Indiana-based businesses, clarifying that businesses could not refuse service.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana named one of least welcoming states for LGBTQ+ community