Rights and Justice

LGBTQI+ Policy

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.

The LGBTQI+ Policy team provides timely, strategic resources on policy issues affecting LGBTQI+ communities.

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Featured work

Fair Play
Report A teacher plays softball with a group of students, May 2019. (Getty/Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald)

Fair Play

Shoshana K. Goldberg

Latest

Compact View

5 Connections Between Attacks on Abortion Care and Transgender Medical Care in Idaho Court Cases Article
Photo shows a group of people demonstrating in front of the Supreme Court building. One sign reads

5 Connections Between Attacks on Abortion Care and Transgender Medical Care in Idaho Court Cases

Two court cases originating in Idaho—Idaho v. United States and Poe v. Labrador—reveal five connections between attacks on abortion care and transgender medical care and highlight how the politicization of the judiciary is fueling the politicization of medicine.

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference Past Event
CAP IDEAS Conference logo

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference

Join the Center for American Progress as we celebrate 20 years of innovative policy solutions and look boldly forward to a progressive future.

Paid Leave Policies Must Include Chosen Family Article
Photo shows a couple sitting together on a park bench.

Paid Leave Policies Must Include Chosen Family

In order to better support all workers—especially LGBTQI+ workers—policymakers must design paid leave policies that are inclusive of chosen family and reflect the diverse caregiving needs of people across the country.

Caroline Medina, Molly Weston Williamson

Discrimination and Barriers to Well-Being: The State of the LGBTQI+ Community in 2022 Report
Intersex Progress Pride flag

Discrimination and Barriers to Well-Being: The State of the LGBTQI+ Community in 2022

A comprehensive new CAP study finds that many LGBTQI+ people continue to face discrimination in their personal lives, employment, housing, and health care, as well as in the public sphere.

Caroline Medina, Lindsay Mahowald

Advancing Health Care Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBTQI+ Communities Report
A woman wears a pride flag in her hair in Manassas, Virginia.

Advancing Health Care Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBTQI+ Communities

New data reveal that LGBTQI+ communities encounter discrimination and other challenges when interacting with health care providers and health insurers, underscoring the importance of strengthening nondiscrimination protections through Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.

Caroline Medina, Lindsay Mahowald

How Congress can illuminate LGBTQI+ experiences — and craft equitable solutions In the News

How Congress can illuminate LGBTQI+ experiences — and craft equitable solutions

Caroline Medina and Rose Khattar discuss the historic House passage of the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act and underscore how comprehensive data collection is critical to better understand LGBTQI+ communities, shed light on persistent disparities, and craft responsive policy solutions.

The Hill

Caroline Medina, Rose Khattar

Fact Sheet: LGBT Workers in the Labor Market Fact Sheet
Activists holding signs that read

Fact Sheet: LGBT Workers in the Labor Market

New data from the Census Bureau reveal economic insecurity and labor market gaps experienced by LGBT people compared with non-LGBT populations.

Caroline Medina, Lindsay Mahowald, Rose Khattar, 1 More Aurelia Glass

LGBTQ+ Military Members and Veterans Face Economic, Housing, and Health Insecurities Article
Thousands of people take the streets to protest then-President Donald Trump’s proposal to ban transgender people from serving in the military. The person in the foreground holds a sign that says

LGBTQ+ Military Members and Veterans Face Economic, Housing, and Health Insecurities

New analysis shows that LGBTQ+ service members and veterans face a bevy of social, economic, and health concerns—while contending with the legacy of discriminatory policies as well as ongoing social stigma and limits to benefits.

Lindsay Mahowald

State Attacks Against LGBTQI+ Rights Article
A protestor in front of the Minnesota capitol holds a sign reading

State Attacks Against LGBTQI+ Rights

Learn more about the discriminatory anti-LGBTQI+ bills advancing in states across the country and what can be done to oppose these damaging legislative attacks.

Caroline Medina, Sharita Gruberg

The 2022 Legislative Landscape for LGBTQI+ Rights Article
A participant is seen holding a sign reading

The 2022 Legislative Landscape for LGBTQI+ Rights

State-level attacks against LGBTQI+ rights are poised to continue in the year ahead, heightening the need for the Senate to pass the Equality Act.

Sharita Gruberg, Caroline Medina

LGBTQI+ equality is central to health of our democracy In the News

LGBTQI+ equality is central to health of our democracy

Sharita Gruberg and Mark Bromley explain why the U.S. Senate must pass the Equality Act and outline why the full and inclusive participation of LGBTQI+ Americans strengthens our democracy.

The Washington Blade

Sharita Gruberg, Mark Bromley

‘Mayor Pete’ Past Event
Poster for the documentary film

‘Mayor Pete’

A Reel Progress Screening and Discussion

Key Issues Facing People With Intersex Traits Article
A young child carries a box of chalk outside their home, September 2018, in Milwaukee. They are one of a growing number of intersex children whose parents are raising them without early genital surgery. (Getty/John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service)

Key Issues Facing People With Intersex Traits

New CAP data and analysis offer insights into the experiences of people with intersex traits.

Caroline Medina, Lindsay Mahowald

Protecting and Advancing Health Care for Transgender Adult Communities Report
A man guides his stepdaughter in a wheelchair through a parking lot outside a wound care clinic in Los Angeles, 2021. His stepdaughter is transgender. (Getty/Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

Protecting and Advancing Health Care for Transgender Adult Communities

The federal government and policymakers must address health disparities and barriers to care for transgender communities by implementing holistic policy solutions.

Caroline Medina, Thee Santos, Lindsay Mahowald, 1 More Sharita Gruberg

Black LGBTQ Individuals Experience Heightened Levels of Discrimination Article
People holding signs supporting Black transgender people gather during a candlelight vigil in West Reading, Pennsylvania, on September 14, 2020. (Getty/Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle)

Black LGBTQ Individuals Experience Heightened Levels of Discrimination

The compounding effects of discrimination for Black LGBTQ Americans are evident in the workplace, health care systems, and police interactions, leading to gaps in economic advancement and mental and physical health outcomes.

Lindsay Mahowald

LGBTQ People of Color Encounter Heightened Discrimination Article
A protestor holds a “Resist” sign at a rally in support of transgender people at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, February 2017. (Getty/Spencer Platt)

LGBTQ People of Color Encounter Heightened Discrimination

A nationally representative survey conducted in June 2020 by the Center for American Progress highlights that LGBTQ people of color are more likely than white LGBTQ individuals to encounter discrimination in a variety of settings.

Lindsay Mahowald

Millions Will Gain Nondiscrimination Protections Under the Equality Act Article
Protestors march in support of transgender lives during a demonstration in New York City, October 2020. (Getty/John Lamparski/SOPA Images/LightRocket)

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.

Caroline Medina, Lindsay Mahowald, Sharita Gruberg

The American Rescue Plan Act Will Significantly Address LGBTQ Poverty Article
The ARPA’s investments are a critical first step on the road to recovery for LGBTQ communities living in poverty. (Getty/Kristina Barker)

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.

Sharita Gruberg

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