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LGBTQ Curricular Laws

LGBTQ-related curricular laws are important for LGBTQ students’ health, wellbeing, and academic success. This map shows three distinct policies related to LGBTQ inclusion in—or exclusion from—school curricula or standards. First, LGBTQ-inclusive curricular laws explicitly require the state’s curricular standards to include LGBTQ people and history, such as in subjects like history, civics, or social studies. Harmful, exclusionary laws include parental opt-out laws, which require parents to be notified in advance of LGBTQ-inclusive curricula and allow parents to opt their children out of those classes. “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” policies censor teachers and staff from even talking about LGBTQ people or issues. Learn more about the importance of inclusive curricular standards from GLSEN.
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
  • State law explicitly requires LGBTQ inclusion in state curricular standards (7 states)
  • State has none of these LGBTQ-specific curricular laws (29 states , 5 territories + D.C.)
  • State law requires parental notification of LGBTQ-inclusive curricula and allows parents to opt their children out (5 states)
  • State law censors discussions of LGBTQ people or issues in school (i.e., “Don’t Say LGBTQ”) (11 states)

Citations & More Information
*Notes:
--"Don't Say LGBTQ" style censorship laws date back to the late 1980s amid the HIV/AIDS crisis. "Don't Say LGBTQ" laws shown on this map in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas are from that era, ranging from 1987 to 1998. The remaining states' laws have all been enacted since 2021. Click "Citations & More Information" above for further details and sources. 
--Arkansas and Florida have both a "Don't Say Gay or Trans" law censoring discussions of LGBTQ people in schools and a parental opt-out law. 
--Click "Citations & More Information" beneath the map legend, or the "Citations" tab above, for more information and these and all states.

Often, laws requiring LGBTQ-inclusive curricular standards also require inclusive representation of other communities like people of color, people with disabilities, and religious minorities. Learn more about the importance of inclusive curricular standards from GLSEN.

Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: LGBTQ Curricular Laws." https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality_maps/curricular_laws. Accessed 09/25/2023.

Percent of LGBTQ Youth Covered by Laws

*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of LGBTQ youth in the U.S. territories or under age 13 are not available, and so cannot be reflected here. Population estimates are from The Williams Institute.

24%

24 % of LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) live in states that require inclusion of LGBTQ people/history in school curricular standards

42%

42 % of LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) live in states with none of these LGBTQ-specific curricular laws

11%

11 % of LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) live in states that have a law allowing parents to opt children out of LGBTQ-inclusive curricula

29%

29 % of LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) live in states that censor discussions of LGBTQ people or issues in school (i.e., “Don’t Say LGBTQ”)

Key
  • State has law that covers sexual orientation and gender identityLaw covers sexual orientation and gender identity/expression
    • ,
  • State does not have this lawIndicates an anti-LGBTQ Law
State LGBTQ-Inclusive Curricular Standards Parental Opt-Out Laws “Don’t Say Gay” Laws Year passed
  Citations Citations Citations
Alabama State does not have this law 1992
Alaska
American Samoa
Arizona State does not have this law 2021
Arkansas State does not have this law State does not have this law 2021, 2023
California
State has law that covers sexual orientation and gender identity 		2011
Colorado
State has law that covers sexual orientation and gender identity 		2019
Connecticut
State has law that covers sexual orientation and gender identity 		2021
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida State does not have this law State does not have this law 2021, 2022
Georgia
Guam
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
State has law that covers sexual orientation and gender identity 		2019
Indiana State does not have this law 2023
Iowa State does not have this law 2023
Kansas
Kentucky State does not have this law 2023
Louisiana State does not have this law 1993
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi State does not have this law 1998
Missouri
Montana State does not have this law 2021
Nebraska
Nevada
State has law that covers sexual orientation and gender identity 		2021
New Hampshire
New Jersey
State has law that covers sexual orientation and gender identity 		2019
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina State does not have this law 2023
North Dakota
Northern Mariana Islands
Ohio
Oklahoma State does not have this law 1995
Oregon
State has law that covers sexual orientation and gender identity 		2019
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee State does not have this law 2021
Texas State does not have this law 1991
U.S. Virgin Islands
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming


Data current as of 09/18/2023
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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.

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