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Safe Schools Laws

Anti-bullying laws protect LGBTQ students from bullying by other students, teachers, and school staff on the basis of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This map shows state anti-bullying laws that explicitly enumerate sexual orientation and/or gender identity as protected characteristics, as well as states that explicitly ban schools from adding LGBTQ protections to their anti-bullying policies. In some states, school regulation or the statewide teacher code of conduct prohibits bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity; these states are only reflected on this map if these are the only available protections in the state.

Please note, other rights may exist or be recognized where you live; this map is not intended as legal advice or an indication of your rights.
United States Map
Washington New York U.S. Virgin Islands Puerto Rico Guam Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands American Samoa New Hampshire Vermont Virginia Pennsylvania New York Maine West Virginia Ohio Kentucky Indiana Michigan Illinois Wisconsin North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Georgia Florida Mississippi Missouri Arkansas Louisiana Iowa Minnesota Oklahoma Kansas Nebraska South Dakota North Dakota Texas 33 Colorado Wyoming Montana Idaho Arizona Utah Nevada Oregon California Hawaii Alaska Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut New Jersey Delaware Maryland Washington D.C. New Hampshire Vermont
  • Law prohibits bullying on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity(20 states + D.C.)
  • Law prohibits bullying on the basis of sexual orientation only (0 states, 2 territories)
  • School regulation or teacher code prohibits bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity (see note) (3 states, 2 territories)
  • No law protecting LGBTQ students (25 states, 1 territory)
  • Law prevents schools or districts from adding LGBTQ protections to anti-bullying policies (2 states)
  • Law prohibits bullying on the basis of association with someone with a listed characteristic (12 states + D.C.)
Note:  Hawai`i, Utah, and West Virginia's school regulations prohibit bullying based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. See also the "Citations & More Information" button beneath the map legend for more information on every state.

"Association with someone with a listed characteristic" means the law prohibits bullying a student based on their relationship to someone else with a listed characteristic. These laws protect students with, for example, LGBTQ friends or family members.

While some states, districts, and schools have non-enumerated anti-bullying laws or policies (policies which generally prohibit bullying, but do not list specific characteristics like race or sexual orientation upon which a student might be bullied), research by the GLSEN finds that such laws have no impact on rates of anti-LGBTQ bullying. Therefore, these laws are not included on this map.

For additional information about anti-bullying laws more generally, visit
StopBullying.gov.

Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Safe Schools Laws." 
https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/safe_school_laws. Accessed 07/12/2024.
Trevor Lifeline - (866-488-7386) - You can call the Trevor Lifeline to connect with a trained volunteer counselor who is ready to listen. It’s free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Percent of Adult LGBTQ Population Covered by Laws

*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.

45%

45 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that have laws prohibiting bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity

0%

0 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that have laws prohibiting bullying on the bases of sexual orientation only

2%

2 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that have school regulation or teacher codes prohibiting bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity (see note beneath map)

53%

53 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that have no law protecting LGBTQ students (including 2% who live in states prohibiting local protections)

2%

2 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that have anti-enumeration laws or regulations

Data current as of 07/02/2025
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