Ohio Ranks "High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality" on Human Rights Campaign's Annual State Equality Index

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Politicians in statehouses across the country introduced 315 discriminatory anti-LGBTQ+ bills in 2022 and 29 passed into law.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation and the Equality Federation Institute released their 9th annual State Equality Index (SEI) this week.

The SEI is a comprehensive report that groups states into several broad categories regarding the type of advocacy that occurs there and details statewide laws and policies that affect LGBTQ+ people and their families.

Ohio was rated “High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality.”

States in this category have advocates focusing on raising support for basic LGBTQ+ equality, such as non-discrimination protections in employment, housing and public accommodations, all of which Ohio lacks. These states are most likely to have religious refusal or other anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Advocates often further LGBTQ+ equality by focusing on municipal protections for LGBTQ+ people or opposing negative legislation that targets the LGBTQ+ community.

“Equality Ohio values the State Equality Index and its role as a critical tool for understanding and advancing LGBTQ+ rights—it offers a clear breakdown of where we need to focus and what we have already achieved,” said Alana Jochum, executive director of Equality Ohio. “We are proud to have held the line against ongoing attacks—especially those so harmfully aimed at our transgender youth and queer BIPOC communities—we still have much work ahead to manifest a state that proactively embraces us. Equality Ohio invites all who believe in advancing civil rights to join our fight; we know that Ohioans are ready for the state to surpass mediocrity and become a leader in helping LGBTQ+ people flourish. From the school board to the statehouse, LGBTQ+ Ohioans deserve to thrive.”

Politicians in statehouses across the country introduced 315 discriminatory anti-LGBTQ+ bills in 2022 and 29 passed into law. Despite this, fewer than 10% of these efforts succeeded.

Last year also marked the passage of the most anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-transgender legislation in recent history. During the final hours of their legislative session, Alabama lawmakers passed a sweeping package of discriminatory bills that contained a number of anti-LGBTQ+ measures, the worst of which criminalized parents for providing gender-affirming care for their transgender children, barred transgender children from using bathrooms and locker rooms that aligned with their gender identity and censored classroom discussions on LGBTQ+ issues.

Twenty-four pro-equality bills were also passed into law. These range in topic from making it easier to update driver's licenses and birth and death certificates with correct names and gender markers, to banning insurance exclusions for health care for transgender individuals, to expanding non-discrimination protections in housing, employment and education. All ensure that LGBTQ+ people are able to take one step closer to full legal and lived equality.