FL Is Second-Worst State For LGBTQ+ Safety In U.S.: Ranking

FLORIDA — Florida is the second-worst state in the U.S. for LGBTQ+ safety in 2024, according to a new report from SafeHome.org.

The Sunshine State, which earned an “F” grade, ranked 50th out of all states and Washington, D.C., only coming ahead of South Dakota at the No. 51 spot.

Last year, Florida was the 15th worst state in the ranking. Its safety score plummeted this year because of “newer and harsher legislation,” the website said. Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Delaware, which topped the 2024 list, all received “A+” grades for LGBTQ+ safety “based on their comprehensive pro-equality laws and low rates of hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people,” according to the website.

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The grading system was based on the opinions of 1,000 American LGBTQ+ individuals. Based on these insights, SafeHome.org calculated how heavily different laws would weigh upon each state’s safety score: parenting freedoms, criminal justice rights, non-discrimination rights, youth protections and health laws.

Information from the Human Rights Campaign was also used to tally how many laws each state had in the above categories and weighted them based on their perceived impact on LGBTQ+ Americans.

For the first time, when compiling the ranking, researchers also considered the frequency of hate crimes committed against LGBTQ people in each state according to the latest FBI data.

“Despite years of progress toward inclusion and equality for LGBTQ+ Americans, a sense of safety at home remains elusive for many,” SafeHome.org said. “By the end of last year, 75 of the 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across the country in 2023 had become law, and in 2022, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ Americans reached a five-year high.”

Florida “has one of the worst legal environments and ranked dead last in participation rates for law enforcement agency crime reporting,” researchers added.

In recent years, laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community include the so-called Don’t Say Gay law in 2022. The law tried to limit how students and teachers can discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom, though a settlement earlier this year clarified some pieces of it.

“Additional anti-equality legislation on Florida’s books includes sodomy laws and laws that allow or require intentional misgendering of public school students,” according to the website. “In 2023, Governor Ron Desantis signed a bill into law that limited drag shows in the state, which a Florida federal judge later blocked.”