After a record year of anti-trans legislation, 2025 is shaping up to be an even tougher year for trans and queer people across the country. a legislative tracker Nearly 120 anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ bills have already been introduced in states across the country ahead of the 2025 legislative season, according to a survey maintained by Erin in the Morning and other volunteers. It turned out that there was. This far exceeds the 80 bills filed by this point in 2023, and a history of legal attacks on the ability of transgender people to freely move, live, and exist as themselves in public spaces. This shows that a similar wave is occurring again.
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The bulk of the bills so far have come from Texas and Missouri, two of the first states to announce pre-filled bills ahead of the 2025 session. But states like South Carolina, New Hampshire, Georgia, Wyoming, and Montana all have multiple anti-LGBTQ+ bills, with more being added every day. Anti-trans bills have been introduced in 13 states: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.
This year, several state bills aim to:Legal recognition of travel from transgender people Overall. Between 2022 and 2024, ten states Passing such laws or enacting similar policies has had devastating consequences for affected communities. In Kansas, Florida, and Texas, transgender people are currently Renew your driver’s licensein some cases, the state I started to put it back together Changes in gender markers that occurred years or even decades ago. If these new bills are enacted, transgender people who have lived as their legal gender for years could face forced return of their identification documents. Similar legislation has already been introduced texas, missouri, south carolinaand wyoming.
Many states that have passed such laws have Toilet prohibited It was also included. In fact, the early days of the bill surge include several bathroom bans aimed at transgender adults. two texas invoice It would allow transgender people to sue if they are encountered in a restroom. 1 bill in montana Transgender people would be banned from public restrooms that indicate their gender identity. one missouri bill It would even amount to “illegal official discrimination” allow Transgender people enter the bathroom according to their gender identity.
ban on books The number of pre-filed bills is increasing again. In 2024, PEN America Found 10,046 individual books banned, affecting 4,231 unique titles. Banned books include “Handmaids Tale,” “Flamer,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” and “Gender Queer.” Characteristics of Texas some like that invoice this yeareven though the state is reprimanded in the high court Ahead of the book banning in 2024.
Another common anti-trans law is: No sports allowed. Many bills aim to extend existing limits even more widely. In Texas, one bill is proposed If trans athletes are allowed to compete, they seek to deny private sporting events access to the state’s Events Trust Fund, a specialized funding source for major sporting events. Other bills aim to extend the sports ban to new age groups. For example, Wyoming’s bill would expand the current ban to apply to students in seventh grade and above. Including kindergarten children.
We’re also seeing activity in several other categories of bills. No drugs allowed, Forced expulsion of transgender students, “Don’t call me gay” bill, prohibition on changing gender on birth certificate; Prohibition of changing driver’s license genderetc.
According to the ACLU, legislative attacks against transgender people increased “exponentially” from 2023 to 2024. These anti-trans laws caused directly Suicide attempts increased by up to 72% in some states. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 4 transgender youth Some people have attempted suicide in the past year, and many of them require treatment.
In the coming months, it will become a landmark supreme court ruling It will decide the constitutional fate of the bill targeting transgender people. While the case centers on laws restricting medical care for transgender people, its broader implications run deeper, as it also debates whether discrimination against transgender people constitutes sex discrimination, and is subject to increased scrutiny. It is necessary. Courts may also consider whether transgender individuals are afforded equal protection with respect to their transgender status. This ruling could either close the door on many of these bills and laws or swing them wide open, sparking a massive legislative attack that could make 2025 a historically disastrous year for transgender rights. be.
These bills can still be tracked and found by Erin In The Morning and other volunteers. here.
This article was first published Erin in the morning.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
