A record number of anti-LGBTQ bills were filed and passed in states across the country this year. From criminalizing public drag shows and standard health care for transgender people to banning books and dictating school curricula, they collectively have the effect of marginalizing LGBTQ people and driving even their mention from the public square.
As a new report from the Movement Advancement Project makes clear, this year’s raft of bills — in North Carolina and beyond — also target those supporting LGBTQ people, including doctors, teachers and corporations that appeal to or embrace the community.
“Americans support LGBTQ equality,” said Naomi Goldberg, deputy director and LGBTQ program director at MAP, in a statement released with the report this week. “Our opponents know this. That’s why they are working to create the false perception of lower support by scaring people into silence.
“Their attempts to bully, fine, and punish virtually anyone who supports LGBTQ people is just one tactic in their larger strategy,” Goldberg said. “As our report series makes clear, their ultimate goal is to keep LGBTQ people from being able to live openly and participate in daily life.”
Last week, families and doctors filed a federal lawsuit over one such North Carolina bill — House Bill 808.
The bill, which became law when the General Assembly’s GOP majority overturned Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto in August, prohibits gender-affirming medical care for those under 18, including treatment advised by their doctors and to which their parents consent. The law also prohibits state funds and Medicaid dollars from being used for such care. Doctors providing such care could lose their medical licenses under the law.
This week, a by-the-numbers look at the movement to punish LGBTQ support systems and allies.
(Sources and images: “Silencing Supporters of LGBTQ People,” report, part of the Under Fire series of reports from the Movement Advancement Project)
3 – Number of tactics identified by the Movement Advancement Project as trends in anti-LGBTQ bills across the country:
Creating criminal and civil penalties for those supporting LGBTQ peopleAttacking companies that support LGBTQ people or voice opposition to LGBTQ policiesStoking violence and harassment against LGBTQ people and institutions
37 – Number of bills filed so far this year targeting not just doctors involved in transgender health care but also parents, teacher or even “any person.” That’s nearly three times as many as last year, when 13 such bills were introduced. Graphic: Movement Advancement Project
63 – Percentage of bills targeting LGBTQ community and allies this year that includes the loss of medical license or other professional discipline for defying anti-LGBTQ legislation. That’s up over last year, when 47% of such bills included that provision.
40 – Percentage of bills this year that allow the state attorney general to take action against organizations or individuals. That’s up from last year, wherein 34% of such bills included that provision.
61 – Percentage of bills this year that allow private lawsuits related to anti-LGBTQ legislation. That’s up from last year, wherein 50% of such bills included that provision. Graphic: Movement Advancement Project
Read the full report here.
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