GLAAD releases new data showing 1,042 anti-LGBTQ incidents were reported in 47 states and the District of Columbia in 2025. The group’s ALERT desk anti-LGBTQ extremism reporting tracker shows a 5% increase from the previous year.
Anti-LGBTQ incidents are defined as “harassment, intimidation, vandalism, and/or assault against individuals, groups, and/or organizations,” with clear evidence of anti-LGBTQ bias as a motive.
The incident included 128 counts of hateful vandalism, 76 counts of violent assault, 22 counts of threats of gang violence, and 15 counts of attempted arson.
The states with the most anti-LGBTQ bias incidents reported in 2025 were California (198), followed by New Hampshire (72), Texas (66), Ohio (50), Washington (50), New York (49), Pennsylvania (45), Colorado (44), Florida (38), and Illinois (37).
North Dakota and Mississippi reported the least number of anti-LGBTQ incidents, with one each, followed by Alabama, New Mexico, and Delaware (two each). Rhode Island, Oklahoma, and Arkansas (three each); Vermont and South Carolina (four each);
The District of Columbia recorded 30 local anti-LGBTQ incidents in 2025, including threats, assaults, vandalism, distribution of anti-LGBTQ propaganda, and protests and rallies targeting the LGBTQ community. Virginia reported 14 incidents primarily involving verbal or written threats, protests or rallies, and Maryland reported 11 incidents primarily involving threats, protests or vandalism.
GLAAD also found that cases targeting transgender and gender nonconforming people increased in 2025 compared to 2024, with more than half of all cases tracked targeting these communities. This is a 10% increase.
Anti-LGBTQ incidents spiked during Pride Month, with the Alert Desk tracking 268 incidents in June 2025, a 400% increase compared to the 54 incidents reported in 2022, when GLAAD first began collecting data.
“Americans should refuse to accept a country that makes its neighbors fear for their safety,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, said in a statement. “As ALERT Desk data shows an increase in violence against LGBTQ people, especially transgender Americans, we must unite in calling out the violence and harassment that too many LGBTQ Americans face. Instead of widening the divisions that lead to this violence, politicians should recognize that all Americans are entitled to freedom, fairness, and safety.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
