April 10, 2024; Columbus, Ohio;
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine gives his 2024 State of the State address in the Ohio House chambers at the Ohio Statehouse on Wednesday afternoon.
Republicans filed a record number of anti-trans bills before we even hit 2025, according to independent journalist Erin Reed.
Reed, who works alongside volunteers on a project tracking all LGBTQ+ bills across the country, noted that there were nearly 120 bills introduced in just the past couple of months before the new year. This same time period last year saw only 80 bills filed.
Related:
Most of these bills come from Texas and Missouri, however other states that have filed such bills include Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Washington, and Wyoming.
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The impact of these bills range in severity. Some aim to end legal recognition of transgender people, forcing an effective detransition for many. This can culminate in an inability to update gender markers on driver’s licenses, with some states -— like Kansas — even reverting to gender marker changes from years prior.
Bathroom bans are also prominent. These include bills that would allow trans people to be sued for entering the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. Some critics of these bans consider them as “unlawful public discrimination.”
Book bans and sports bans are also exceptionally common, with many bills expanding upon policies that are already in place across the country.
Reed notes that other bill types include “drag bans, forced outing of transgender students, ‘don’t say gay’ bills, birth certificate gender change bans, drivers license gender change bans.”
This is a symptom of a greater problem of anti-trans rhetoric spread across the country. A recent study suggests that anti-trans laws such as these have a direct relationship to suicide attempts in transgender youth, and this relationship is only likely to increase as Republicans begin a full assault on transgender rights.
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to attack transgender rights the moment he gets into office, jeopardizing the safety of millions.
Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860) is staffed by trans people and will not contact law enforcement. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for youth via chat, text (678-678), or phone (1-866-488-7386). Help is available at all three resources in English and Spanish.
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