Full Breakdown
U.S. States See Deepening Divide in LGBTQ+ Acceptance, 2026 Index Shows
6/1/2026, 9:26:48 PM
2026 LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index Shows Growing Divide
Out Leadership released its 2026 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index on June 1. The index rates all 50 states on policy and attitudinal factors, adding 12 metrics that track bathroom-access bans, pronoun-use prohibitions and adult gender-affirming-care limits.
Background: Marriage Equality to Rollbacks
The index launched eight years after the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Founder Todd Sears said its aim was to expose “invisible” issues like HIV criminalization and conversion therapy that persisted after marriage equality. A 2022 study by Northwestern’s Tessa Charlesworth and Harvard’s Mahzarin Banaji showed bias declining through 2020, but the early-2020s reversed that trend, prompting the expanded scope.
Findings: Scores and New Metrics
The national average fell to 60.63 and the typical state scores 53.1, with 26 states below 60. Massachusetts leads at 93.85, Arkansas trails at 28.06, widening the gap to 66 points since 2019. California and Illinois rose due to pro-LGBTQ policies and gender-affirming-care protections; Florida and Texas slipped under anti-trans laws. Maine fell without new protections, while South Dakota improved by avoiding anti-LGBTQ statutes.
Business Impact
DEI programs contracted amid a “go woke, go broke” backlash, with firms cutting Pride budgets and displaying fewer rainbow symbols. Sears warned that a talent flight was underway. LGBTQ employees are relocating from hostile states and concealing their identities at work, a trend he says will depress productivity and long-term economic performance.
Official Statements
Todd Sears emphasized that the index demonstrates a nationwide regression in LGBTQ civil rights and that the new indicators capture forces already affecting LGBTQ citizens and their families. Charlesworth noted that geography influences the overall amount of bias toward gay, lesbian, and trans people, highlighting regional patterns.
Corporate Backlash
Critics label corporate inclusion as “woke” excess, pressuring brands like Target and Bud Light to scale back visible support. This pushback has amplified legislative attacks in red-state legislatures, reinforcing the index’s picture of growing hostility.
Verbatim Quotes
- “For the last several years we simply weren’t capturing forces that were already hitting LGBTQ+ citizens and their families,” — Todd Sears, Out Leadership
- “Something Americans had come to take for granted, that LGBTQ+ people exist and deserve civil rights, has been thrown back into question,” — Todd Sears, Out Leadership
- “Geography certainly plays a role in the overall amount of bias towards gay, lesbian and trans people,” — Tessa Charlesworth, Northwestern University
- “The math shows it,” — Todd Sears, Out Leadership
Future Outlook
Out Leadership plans a 2027 update while businesses brace for continued recruitment challenges in low-scoring states. Researchers expect ongoing monitoring of implicit and explicit bias as state legislatures consider further anti-LGBTQ measures.
