All US states given LGBTQ+ safety ratings – and the worst ones won’t surprise

[Lori Dee]

All US states given LGBTQ+ safety ratings – and the worst ones won't surprise you
Full Article
Pink News - Sophie Perry
May 31, 2024

A new report has given every US state an LGBTQ+ safety rating – and the ones which received an F score will come as no surprise.

SafeHome's third annual LGBTQ+ State Safety Report Cards grade all 50 states and Washington DC, based on how safe they are for the queer people, with a scoring system which relies on legislative analysis and FBI hate-crime data.

The report comes after a year when hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills were tabled in states across the US. The legislation has sought – successfully in a number of cases – to roll back access to gender-affirming care, bar trans people from sports and single-sex spaces, stifle free speech, outlaw drag shows and reverse anti-discrimination protections.

The research awarded Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Delaware A+ grades because they have "comprehensive pro-equality laws and low rates of hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people".

On the other end of the scale, however, South Dakota, Florida and Wyoming were graded an F because of the "high number of discriminatory laws and hate-crime reporting rates".

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Way to go, South Dakota. *sigh*