While most anti-LGBTQ+ bills were defeated, 46 were signed into law. Now, well into the 2025 state legislative season, lawmakers have shown little interest in slowing down and, in fact, have escalated these attacks in many cases to expand on restrictions on basic needs for our communities such as best practice gender-affirming medical care, accurate identity documents and access to appropriate public facilities. Lawmakers in Texas, having already passed a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in previous years, have recently introduced legislation to prohibit any person from “causing or contributing to” the medical or social transition — even changes in clothing, pronouns, hairstyle and name — of a minor, with a statute of limitations of 20 years from the action. 

It’s clear that anti-equality politicians are feeling newly emboldened following the 2024 election. Lawmakers in numerous states have even pushed resolutions that urge the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 decision that legalized marriage for same-sex couples nationwide. This new effort follows the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion, in which Justice Clarence Thomas issued a concurring opinion stating that the court should reconsider Obergefell. Additionally, several states have introduced legislation that creates a legal category of marriage called “covenant marriage,” which could only take place between a man and a woman.

In an era of rising costs for healthcare, groceries and other basic needs, the desire to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people is clearly not front of mind for most Americans. Why, then, are we seeing a tidal wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bills across the country, often with similar language from state to state? For years, far-right organizations have been working behind the scenes to author and introduce anti-LGBTQ+ state legislation throughout the country, pitching it to conservative lawmakers as a wedge issue intended to energize the most extreme parts of their voter base. 

Now, these far-right groups are implementing the next stage of their plan: pushing federal lawmakers to replicate anti-LGBTQ+ bills we’ve seen in the states and bring these very same types of attacks to the national level.  Restrictions on best practice healthcare for the transgender youth dependents of military service members were passed through Congress in December — the first anti-LGBTQ+ measure to pass into federal law in 30 years. Now with control of both bodies of Congress and the White House, anti-equality federal lawmakers are wasting no time in continuing this pattern. Just weeks into the new session, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would prohibit transgender students from participating on school sports teams aligning with their gender identity. The Human Rights Campaign took immediate action to stop this bill from passing the U.S. Senate, driving over 38,000 constituent calls and emails to lawmakers urging them to reject this latest attack on our community. Following our sustained efforts, the Senate refused to move the bill forward, marking a significant victory for equality and reminding lawmakers how out of touch anti-LGBTQ+ policies are with the American people.

Meanwhile, President Trump has been releasing a barrage of executive actions taking aim at the LGBTQ+ community since day one of his new administration. These actions have borrowed from “LGBTQ+ erasure” and bathroom ban legislation in the states to narrowly define people based on their sex assigned at birth and deny transgender people access to federal identity documents, spaces and programs that align with their gender identity. In addition, Trump issued directives to reverse efforts supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace that included eliminating sexual orientation and gender identity federal contractor nondiscrimination protections. The executive actions were framed by messages honed in state legislative committee hearings and floor debates, and echo the sentiments of hundreds of bills filed in state legislatures in recent years. The architects of the administration’s policy efforts will no doubt continue to use the results of their experiments in the laboratories of democracy — the states — to inform their effects nationally. Some of the major proponents of this anti-LGBTQ+ legislation are behind the infamous Project 2025, which includes federal policy proposals that echo the fights those actors have experimented with in the states.

In this dark time for our communities, the role of the Human Rights Campaign alongside our members and supporters is as important as ever. We are not powerless, and we cannot be silent as this anti-equality administration and their MAGA allies in Congress weaponize their power to chip away at our hard-earned rights and freedoms. In March, the Human Rights Campaign in Georgia responded to the surge in anti-LGBTQ+ bills by joining together with our coalition partners in the state for a major rally and lobby day that demonstrated our collective power and sent a clear message that we aren’t going anywhere and will continue to fight back against all attacks on our communities. Together, we can replicate successes like this across the country, and uplift the courage of those fighting on the front lines to bring national attention to what’s happening at the state level and warn people of what new mutations of anti-LGBTQ+ hate are being tested in their communities.

Each one of us can play a role in fighting back against the tidal wave of dangerous policies and rhetoric being aimed at our communities. Here are some of the ways you can get involved:

• Read HRC’s 2024 State Equality Index to learn about the laws passed in your state and what they mean for you, your family and your community. The SEI is the most comprehensive survey of state-level commitment to LGBTQ+ equality, ranking states based on a thorough assessment of their laws and policies in the areas of parenting, religious refusal and relationship recognition, non-discrimination, hate crime and criminal justice, youth and education, and health and safety. This can be a tool to educate yourself and your community on the national and local landscape, and learn how to prepare for future legislative attacks on our communities.
• Join HRC’s network of volunteers and help out on the front lines in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. Being a volunteer with HRC provides you the opportunity and training to push back against politicians, change the lived experiences for LGBTQ+ people and make the world more fair and equitable. Our movement thrives when people from all walks come together to offer their experience and creativity.
• Be a leader in your community: Attend a town hall or request an in-person meeting with your state and local representatives to demand they stand up boldly and unapologetically for LGBTQ+ people.

LGBTQ+ people know what it means to face bigotry and attacks from even the highest seats of power and respond with resilience and determination. In this new era, we must continue to show up for ourselves and our communities, demonstrate our growth and power as a collective movement, and continue the hard work of bending the arc of justice.