Diversity Rules Magazine

This year for the first me since Out Leadership be- gan publishing the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate In- dex five years ago, the na on's overall average score on LGBTQ+ equality dropped -1.14 points. The net nega ve ra ng for the country is largely due to over 500 an -equality bills introduced at the state level this legisla ve cycle. The 2023 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index re- leased by Out Leadership, the premier global LG- BTQ+ organiza on harnessing the power of business to drive equality, finds "the state of LGBTQ+ access and equality in the U.S. is regressing," signaling "in- creasing polariza on across the country in poli cal and cultural a tudes towards the LGBTQ+ commu- nity." "The State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index ranks each state and applies a numeric score out of 100 for how LGBTQ+ people experience living, working, building a family and building a life in each state. We use data from our partners at the Williams ins tute and LGBTMAP (Measurement advancement project) as well as our own research to measure lived experi- ence for LGBTQ+ people in each state," explains Jane Barry-Moran, Managing Director, Research & Pro- grams, Out Leadership. Top 5 states for LGBTQ+ equality 1) New York – 93.67 2) Connec cut – 93.27 3) Massachuse s – 92.67 4) New Jersey – 90.00 5) Colorado – 88.67 Worst 5 states for LGBTQ+ equality 46) South Dakota -- 34.97 47) Tennessee – 34.40 48) Louisiana – 33.50 49) South Carolina – 32.50 50) Arkansas – 32.00 "As greater numbers of mul na onal companies con- nue to shi away from U.S. based opera ons, the business impact of this year's index points to a harm- ful effect for the na on's economy and job market," said Todd Sears, founder and CEO of Out Leadership. "Major corporate employers want to locate to plac- es where they can recruit the best talent, without having to worry about state and local laws hinder- ing their overall business success. Companies simply don't want to be at odds with the business policies and prac ces of the state they operate in, and they certainly don't want to feel a acked by them." Some of this year's drivers responsible for the change in rankings include a range of an -LGBTQ+ pieces of legisla on targe ng gender-affirming care, censor- ship laws like "Don't say gay," limits on transgender adult and youth rights, and the change in pro-LGBTQ+ leadership in the state. "While the top ranked states for LGBTQ+ equality broadly are staying strong, the bo om ranked states decreased in score significantly. This con nues to signal increasing polariza on across the country in poli cal and cultural a tudes toward the LGBTQ+ community," said Brian Sims, Managing Director, Public Policy and Government Affairs for Out Leader- ship. Out Leadership's State LGBTQ+ Business Climate In- dex is an assessment of all 50 states' performance on LGBTQ+ inclusion. The index measures the impact government policies and prevalent a tudes have on LGBTQ+ people residing in each state, quan fying the economic impera ves for inclusion and the costs of discrimina on. It is a mul dimensional index based on a broad array of markers of policies, a tudes, and measurements rela ng to LGBTQ+ inclusion. These markers are carefully chosen to accurately reflect the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in each state. You can view the index's methodology, here. Sears concluded, "The economic outlook of an - equality states is being imperiled by poli cians more interested in scoring poli cal points than protec ng the future livelihoods of ci zens." Index - Con't on page 21 14 |Diversity Rules Magazine| July 2023 The Best and Worst States for LGBTQ+ Equality Out Leadership's 2023 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index finds "the state of LGBTQ+ access and equality in the U.S. is regressing"

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