Anti-Trans Bills Surged in Last Two Years

Data collected by website (Anti-)Trans Legislation Tracker shows that the number of anti-trans bills introduced into U.S. national and state-level legislatures has surged in the past two years. In early 2023, several bills gathered national attention, like Tennessee's ban on drag shows for minors - the first in the nation. At the same time, several U.S. states started to restrict or outlaw gender-affirming care for minors. A total of 16 states did so in the first half of that year and 26 have enacted laws or policies overall. Since then, public attention around the topic has died down some, but the introduction of bills has not.

665 were introduced in the United States in 2024 so far, Trans Legislation Tracker tallies - more than the 604 introduced in 2023. While a majority of the bills does not pass, they still create a climate of fear, researchers and community members say. Of the 2023 bills, 87 eventually passed, while in 2024, that number is still lower, but many legislative processes might still be ongoing.

When the tracker started counting bills in 2015, it counted 21 introduced. Between 2015 and 2018, many legislation proposals focused on bathroom rules, i.e. forcing trans people to use the bathroom belonging to their biological sex. Between 2020 and 2022, many proposed bills circled around trans participation in sports, while healthcare and teenagers' access became the defining factor from 2023. Education bills, for example pronoun use and parental notifications in school settings, and bills with other topics also surged in the past two years. There have been bills introduced in 43 states and on the federal level. Other topics include performances, like drag shows, where 29 bills were counted, but also bills from the areas of the military, marriage, incarceration, employment and more.