LGBTQI+ Rights

LGBTQI+ people are a vital part of our nation and have remained resilient in their fight for equal rights.

However, the LGBTQI+ community is currently facing unprecedented levels of discrimination: State attacks explicitly targeting the rights of LGBTQI+ people have surged in recent years, while attempts to ban gender-affirming health care and criminalize drag performances have spread through various state houses across the country. Not only does the passage of these measures directly harm LGBTQI+ people and communities, but data also show that the mere introduction of these kinds of bills—which are often fueled by hateful and misinformed rhetoric—adversely affects LGBTQI+ people, especially youth.

CAP is dedicated to providing research that highlights the need for legal and lived equality for LGBTQI+ people as well as advancing policy solutions that further comprehensive nondiscrimination protections in tandem with policies that support the economic security, health, and safety of LGBTQI+ people.

Photo shows a black wrought iron fence next to a brick sidewalk. Small, colorful pride and transgender flags line the fence.
Colorful pride flags line a wrought iron fence at Christopher Park, part of the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village, New York. (Getty/John Senter/UCG/Universal Images Group)
Related Team
LGBTQI+ Policy

Featured

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

Latest

Compact View

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

What You Need To Know About the Equality Act Fact Sheet
 (LGBTQ rights demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., October 2019.)

What You Need To Know About the Equality Act

This fact sheet outlines how the Equality Act would provide much-needed civil rights protections for LGBTQ people, women, people of faith, and others.

Thee Santos, Caroline Medina, Sharita Gruberg

Load More

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.