Donate
New Democracy Maps
/About /MAP Data Requests

Get Our Data

Thanks for your interest in our data! MAP tracks over 50 LGBTQ-related laws and policies via our Equality Maps and LGBTQ Policy Tally. We also track over 50 voting and election-related laws and policies via our Democracy Maps and Democracy Tally. We update our website, maps, and data in real-time as we learn of new policy developments, so MAP’s website is always the most up-to-date version of our data. 
 
For more on how the Tally scores are created, please visit our Equality Maps FAQ and related methodology (go to any state profile and click the grey ‘View Methodology’ button), or our Democracy Maps methodology. 
 
Subscribe to our email lists to keep up with our work, or follow us on Google Scholar to get notified of new reports or to see how other researchers are using our data. 

What does the LGBTQ Policy Tally include? 

As of January 2024, the LGBTQ Policy Tally is a summary measure across 50+ LGBTQ-related laws and policies currently on the books in each state. MAP tracks these policies across all 50 states, the District of Columbia (D.C.), and the five U.S. territories. The major categories of laws covered by the policy tally include: Relationship & Parental Recognition, Nondiscrimination, Religious Exemptions, LGBTQ Youth, Health Care, Criminal Justice, and Identity Documents.   
 
For more on how the Tally scores are created, please visit our Equality Maps FAQ and related methodology (go to any state profile and click the grey ‘View Methodology’ button). 

What does THE LGBTQ POLICY TALLY not include?


The LGBTQ Policy Tally is a summary measure across 50+ LGBTQ-related laws and policies currently on the books in each state. While it is an excellent and robust measure of a state’s current LGBTQ policy environment across a wide range of issues, it does not necessarily reflect the entire political or social landscape for LGBTQ people.  
 
  • Number of LGBTQ policies: While we currently track 50+ LGBTQ laws and policies, these are not all the laws and policies shaping LGBTQ people’s lives. We regularly add new policies to our tracking to further improve this measure. If you have suggestions for additional policies to consider, please email  info@mapresearch.org. 
  • Non-policy factors: This measure does not reflect bills that have been proposed but not passed; a state’s social climate or public opinion; the efforts of LGBTQ advocates in the state; and other non-policy-related factors that also shape LGBTQ people’s experiences.  
  • Non-LGBTQ policy: The LGBTQ Policy Tally also only focuses on LGBTQ-related policy measures, but an LGBTQ person’s experiences are shaped by many kinds of policy not necessarily included here, such as policy focusing on racial justice, economic security, reproductive health care, and more. 
  • Snapshot in time: The LGBTQ Policy Tally also provides only a current-moment snapshot of a state’s policy environment. This does not reflect a state’s potential improvement (or decline) over time, or how a state’s policies might change in the future. States with low tally scores might shift rapidly with an influx of resources, and states with higher tally scores may either backslide with a new wave of anti-LGBTQ efforts or continue to expand equality for LGBTQ people in ways that can provide models for other states. 

What does the Democracy Policy Tally include?

As of January 2024, the Democracy Tally is a summary measure across 50+ voting- and election-related laws and policies currently on the books in each state. MAP tracks these policies across all 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.). The major categories of laws covered by the Democracy Tally include: Voter Registration, Representation & Participation, Voting in Person, Voting By Mail, Election Security, and Independence & Integrity. 
 
For more on how the Tally scores are created, please visit our Democracy Maps methodology..

What does the Democracy Policy Tally not include?

The Democracy Tally is a summary measure across 50+ voting and election-related laws and policies currently on the books in each state. While it is an excellent and robust measure of a state’s current voting/electoral policy environment across a wide range of issues, it does not necessarily reflect the entire political or social landscape shaping voting and elections. 
 
  • Number of policies: While we currently track 50+ voting and election-related laws and policies, these are not all the laws and policies shaping the voting experience. We regularly add new policies to our tracking to further improve this measure. If you have suggestions for additional policies to consider, please email  info@mapresearch.org. 
  • Non-policy factors: This measure does not reflect bills that have been proposed but not passed; a state’s social climate or public opinion; the efforts of advocates in the state; and other non-policy-related factors that also shape voting experiences.  
  • Non-voting policy: The Democracy Tally is focused on voting and election-related policy measures, but a voter’s experiences are shaped by numerous factors. These factors include income and economic security, education, racial justice and health disparities, among many other variables. 
  • Snapshot in time: The Democracy Tally also provides only a current-moment snapshot of a state’s policy environment. This does not reflect a state’s potential improvement (or decline) over time, or how a state’s policies might change in the future. States with low tally scores might shift rapidly with an influx of resources, and states with higher tally scores may either backslide with a new wave of anti-democratic efforts or continue to expand access to the ballot and democratic protections in ways that can provide models for other states. 

What MAP data are or are not available?

Our Equality Maps and Democracy Maps data are always available online and updated in real-time. MAP’s website is always the most up-to-date version of our data. 
 
Additionally, every map has a corresponding factsheet that includes citations, direct sources, and more detail, often including historical information. Click the orange “Citations” button beneath each map legend to access these factsheets.  
 
For Equality Maps data, please visit our deposits at the University of Michigan’s ICPSR data repositories. In particular, this deposit (ICPSR 37877) provides data covering roughly 40 LGBTQ laws and policies as they were in 2010 and 2020, allowing for analysis of policy change over that decade. We are also working on additional, forthcoming deposits of additional years’ data. Please visit our ICPSR author profile for those forthcoming deposits. 
 
Our Equality Maps and Democracy Maps (and their corresponding LGBTQ Policy Tallies and Democracy Tallies) focus on the current landscape of laws and policies, rather than histories of these laws. As a result, our historical archives are more limited. Our Democracy Maps program began in 2021, so historical data are especially limited. While we have tracked LGBTQ policies since 2006, we did not start creating the LGBTQ Policy Tally scores until mid-2015. However, we are working on a longer historical dataset for the LGBTQ Policy Tally; stay tuned! 

DO I HAVE TO PAY TO ACCESS MAP'S DATA?

We value accessibility, transparency, and collaboration in research and beyond. You do not have to pay to access our data. However, we are a very small, nonprofit team with limited resources and capacity, and financial contributions—whether as a donation or more formal contribution (e.g., as part of an academic research grant)—help us continue to do this work and to provide these data. If we can provide the data you request, we will likely ask if you have any funding available to support this request. We can work with you to meet grant-specific or other administrative requirements, such as writing formal letters of support or providing an invoice.  

HOW DO I REQUEST MAP'S DATA?

For Equality Maps data, please visit our deposits at the University of Michigan’s ICPSR data repositories. In particular, this deposit (ICPSR 37877) provides data covering roughly 40 LGBTQ laws and policies as they were in 2010 and 2020, allowing for analysis of policy change over that decade. We are also working on additional, forthcoming deposits of additional years’ data. Please visit our ICPSR author profile for those forthcoming deposits. 
 
For Democracy Maps data, please use the form linked below.

HOW ELSE CAN I GET MAP'S DATA?

If the above ICPSR deposit(s), our website, our maps, or our citation factsheets that are provided for every map (click the orange “Citations” button beneath the map legends) do not have the information you’re looking for, you might also try The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine! You can use this site to find archived versions of our website (and many other websites) over time. This can help answer historical questions and much more.  

WHAT IF I HAVE A DIFFERENT QUESTION?

If you have reviewed the above deposit(s) and still need to speak with the MAP team, please complete the form included below. 
 
Please note that response time may vary as our team reviews requests, and we may be especially slow to respond in the first half of the calendar year during state legislative sessions. Please also note that requested data may not be available (e.g., historical data), and further that the fulfilling of requests is up to the discretion of our team. .




Related Resources

References

Google Scholar Profile

This listing of research includes projects that cite or reference our Equality or Democracy Maps data. If your work is not listed here and you would like to be added to this list, please contact: datarequests@mapresearch.org.

View our Profile
ICPSR Data

Mapping LGBTQ Equality: 2010 to 2020, United States

Comparing the January 1, 2020 status of LGBTQ policy landscape to the status of those same laws as of January 1, 2010, this dataset includes areas of law and policy such as: relationship and parental recognition, nondiscrimination, religious exemptions, LGBTQ youth-related laws, health care, criminal justice, and identity documents.

View the Data

Stay Informed

Be the first to know about new reports and MAP news by signing up for our newsletter

Democracy Maps

Equality Maps

Policy

Communications

Open to All

About

A Brief Overview of MAP

Founded in 2006, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) is an independent, nonprofit think tank that provides rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all.

MAP works to ensure that all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life. MAP is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and donations to MAP are 100% tax-deductible. You can read more about MAP and the work we do on our About page.

Get in Touch

Get Social

Copyright © 2024 Movement Advancement Project

Login

Forgot your password?

Request User Access

A limited set of materials is restricted to the staff and board members of LGBTQ movement organizations. Click below to request user access.

Join MAP

View our privacy policy.

Sexual Orientation Policy Tally

The term “sexual orientation” is loosely defined as a person’s pattern of romantic or sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or more than one sex or gender. Laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation primarily protect or harm lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. That said, transgender people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual can be affected by laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation.

Gender Identity Policy Tally

“Gender identity” is a person’s deeply-felt inner sense of being male, female, or something else or in-between. “Gender expression” refers to a person’s characteristics and behaviors such as appearance, dress, mannerisms and speech patterns that can be described as masculine, feminine, or something else. Gender identity and expression are independent of sexual orientation, and transgender people may identify as heterosexual, lesbian, gay or bisexual. Laws that explicitly mention “gender identity” or “gender identity and expression” primarily protect or harm transgender people. These laws also can apply to people who are not transgender, but whose sense of gender or manner of dress does not adhere to gender stereotypes.

Choose a State or Territory

States

Territories

Choose an Issue

Sort by Category Sort Alphabetically

Choose a State or Territory

States

Choose an Issue

Sort by Category Sort Alphabetically