The divide between LGBTQ-friendly and hostile states is growinghttps://www.advocate.com/politics/states/state-business-climate-index-2026 🔗Jack Walker (5 June 2026)
An index that measures state-level LGBTQ+ inclusion for business leaders has measured a national decline in support for the LGBTQ+ community for the fourth consecutive year.
Released this month, the eighth annual State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index examines states across five main categories: legal protections, family support, political and religious attitudes, health care and employment. The index is published by OutLeadership, an LGBTQ+ business network.
This year's report found that states that rank low in the index are performing worse year over year, and that fewer states are placing toward the middle of the 100-point index scale. The states with the lowest rankings were Arkansas, Tennessee, Idaho, South Carolina and Florida in that order.
"The gap between inclusive and hostile states is wider than it has ever been, and it is still widening," wrote Out Leadership CEO Todd Sears in an introduction to this year's report. "For businesses, this means the cost of operating across a fractured regulatory landscape has never been higher, and the return on choosing to lead has never been greater."
