In 2023, legislators passed more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills, on topics ranging from eliminating access to healthcare to banning books to prohibiting access to public facilities. At the time, this was a record-breaking level of anti-LGBTQ legislation. 2024 is set to break this record. Researchers estimate that approximately 475 anti-LGBTQ bills have already been introduced this year.
According to a recent report from Out & Equal, a nonprofit focused on LGBTQ workplace equity, inclusion, and belonging, this avalanche of anti-queer legislation is having a significant impact on workers, businesses, and local economies.
The report, taken from a survey of LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ workers across the United States, states that nearly four out of five (79%) respondents say anti-LGBTQ laws would affect whether they would relocate for a new job or position in a particular state. Such research suggests that anti-LGBTQ legislation hurts employers’ ability to attract and retain top talent.
In an email, Deena Fidas, chief program and partnerships officer at Out & Equal, tells Fast Company that this amounts to “lost talent and the innovative thinking and talent that individuals bring to an organization. But beyond that, it’s vitality and life in our local communities, it’s the support experienced by local businesses, it’s the tax revenue to fund schools, communities, and essential services provided by the state.”
Among those surveyed, the vast majority (94%) agree that LGBTQ+ equality has worsened in the past year, with 45% feeling less safe in their state and 31% considering relocating as a result of state-level policy changes.
Many recent bills have targeted the transgender community, and these sentiments have seeped into workplace culture. Out & Equal found that 24% of respondents have heard jokes about the LGBTQ+ community at work, and among this group, 84% have heard jokes about transgender people.
In the face of this hostile landscape, workers report feeling unsupported by business leaders. An estimated 72% of workers say their company did not respond sufficiently to the increase in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and 40% say they do not feel fully comfortable discussing the impact of legislative changes on them and/or their families with their supervisors. Respondents say employers could better support workers by offering flexible and remote work options; engaging in public policy advocacy; providing employer-funded relocation services and resources, as well as support for out-of-state travel and benefits; and hosting dedicated employee assistance programs.
“The LGBTQ+ community needs authentic allyship across the board,” Fidas says. “The cost of inaction is too great. And while businesses have implemented and strengthened their own policies and practices to include nondiscrimination protections, equitable benefits, and belonging initiatives for the LGBTQ+ community, there is more work to be done.”
Fidas stresses that ultimately, without the support of business leaders, the current climate will have dire repercussions for entire communities. “Our society is becoming more diverse. It’s the world as it currently is and will continue to be,” she says. “Legislation that attacks difference and aims to put a lid on progress will always be detrimental to businesses, communities, and society at large.”