Report reveals the most hostile states in the US for LGBTQ+ people
US states vary greatly in their LGBTQ+ legislation – or lack thereof. (Image: Getty/Canva)
A new ranking has named the five US states where life is hardest for LGBTQ+ people, and warns that conditions in those states are deteriorating year on year.
The findings come from the eighth annual State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index, which tracks how inclusive each state is from the perspective of business leaders.
Now in its eighth year, the index has logged a fourth consecutive year of falling support for LGBTQ+ people nationally.
Who created the ranking?
It is compiled by OutLeadership, a network focused on LGBTQ+ inclusion in the corporate world, and scores states out of 100 across five areas: legal protections, support for families, political and religious climate, healthcare and employment.
According to the index, the worst states in the US for LGBTQ+ Americans are Arkansas, Tennessee, Idaho, South Carolina and Florida.
The report noted that the bottom-ranked states are sliding further each year, while the number of states clustered in the middle of the scale continues to shrink, leaving a starker divide between the most and least welcoming places to live.
OutLeadership chief executive Todd Sears wrote that the distance between welcoming and hostile states had reached a record high and was still growing. He argued the divide carries real costs for companies trying to operate across such an uneven legal landscape, while rewarding those willing to take a stand.
Which states are the best?
Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Illinois have all remained among the least hostile states in the US, according to the index.
Other indexes have previously shown the changing state of life for LGBTQ+ people across the US, with new indexes being developed and updated annually.
