The LGBTQI+ Policy team provides timely, strategic resources on policy issues affecting LGBTQI+ communities.
Participants hold up their fists prior to the start of the 46th annual Gay Pride march, June 26, 2016 in New York. (Getty/Bryan R. Smith/AFP)
What We're Doing
Expanding legal and lived equality for LGBTQI+ people
Through data and policy analysis, we examine the effects of discrimination and the misuse of religious exemptions while advocating for comprehensive federal nondiscrimination protections such as the Equality Act.
Advancing racial equity in LGBTQI+ policy
Our research has clearly demonstrated stark racial disparities in well-being, vulnerabilities, and experiences of discrimination among LGBTQI+ people. We work to show the nature of these disparities and ensure policy responses do not continue to leave LGBTQI+ people of color behind.
Improving LGBTQI+ health and economic security
Exclusion of LGBTQI+ people from opportunities in education, employment, housing, and health care has material consequences on the well-being of LGBTQI+ individuals. We examine these impacts and recommend responses to policymakers and other key stakeholders.
Enhancing data collection from LGBTQI+ people
Good policy demands good research, and the government needs an accurate picture of the experiences of LGBTQI+ people to adequately respond to the issues they face. Expanding and enhancing data collection on sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status in research is a central priority of our team.
A Timeline of the Biden Administration’s Efforts To Support LGBTQ Equality in the First 100 Days
In the administration’s first 100 days in office, the federal government has taken notable steps to support LGBTQ people and communities—and it must continue to implement this framework.
Justice in Reentry for Formerly Incarcerated LGBTQ People and People Living With HIV
Broad reforms and targeted services are needed to reduce the harms of incarceration for LGBTQ people and people living with HIV as they reenter their communities.
Millions Will Gain Nondiscrimination Protections Under the Equality Act
These fact sheets highlight how the Equality Act will result in expanded nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, women, communities of color, and foreign-born individuals in states across the country.
The American Rescue Plan Act Will Significantly Address LGBTQ Poverty
LGBTQ people—particularly LGBTQ people of color and transgender people—were among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ARPA’s investments are a critical first step on the road to recovery.
Making the Case for Chosen Family in Paid Family and Medical Leave Policies
To ensure that LGBTQ individuals are included in paid family and medical leave policies, lawmakers must design the policies to cover diverse family relationships and allow for caregiving of chosen family.
Despite recent legislative pushback, schools across the country are recognizing the important benefits of equal participation in sports for all young people, including transgender youth.
Government Strategies To Address the Coronavirus Must Include Targeted Assistance for LGBTQ Communities
Mitigating the coronavirus pandemic’s detrimental impacts on the lives of LGBTQ people will require a strategically coordinated policy effort at all levels of government.
Improving the Lives and Rights of LGBTQ People in America
The incoming Biden administration has stated its commitment to advancing LGBTQ equality, which will require undoing the harms caused during the last four years and by generations of discrimination, as well as proactively championing a progressive agenda.
