LGBTQ Americans face a paradox. Our population is growing, with LGBTQ people making up 7.6% of US adults and 22.3% of Gen Z. Our stories are visible, with 27.3% of films by major distributors portraying one or more LGBTQ characters. Our right to love freely is codified nationally, with the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act in late 2022. And a supermajority of Americans continue to support LGBTQ people and our right to live free from fear.
And yet – LGBTQ Americans continue to face soaring levels of hate and extremism targeting us for who we are, and our allies for supporting us. Over 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country, including bans / restrictions targeting drag events, LGBTQ-inclusive school curricula, and transgender medical care. School districts in state after state are facing thousands of attempted book bans targeting diverse, LGBTQ-inclusive stories. And most tragically, we’ve seen at least 25 transgender and gender non-conforming people killed in the US in 2024, 72% of which were people of color.
In response to the dramatic rise in anti-LGBTQ hate, GLAAD has launched its Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker (ALERT). The ALERT Desk serves as a central hub for resources and original reporting on hate and extremism impacting LGBTQ people in the US, tracking anti-LGBTQ incidents nationwide. These incidents include both criminal and non-criminal expressions of hate – from protests at drag shows, to sprees of vandalism targeting Pride flags, to bomb threats against health care providers of transgender patients. Through careful analysis of this data, the ALERT Desk provides in-depth information to keep our community aware and safe, as well as resources for key stakeholders fighting against anti-LGBTQ hate at the local, state, and federal levels.
These charts provide a look into how anti-LGBTQ incidents in the US vary by geographic location.
The first chart is a “hex map” which shows a hexagon for every state in generally the correct geographic placement. The hexagons are color-coded based on the number of incidents in that state – the darker red, the more incidents.
The map at the bottom shows actual locations where incidents are plotted at the latitude and longitude level. The size of the circle tells you how many incidents occurred in that area – the larger the circle, the more incidents.
The table in the middle displays a list of all incidents occurring in the selected geographic region
To change your selection, you can click on a state in the hex map to filter both maps and the table by that state.
You can also click on or multi-select (lasso) circles in the map to filter the table by just those incidents selected.
To clear all your selections and show all values, click the “Show All” button.
You can download the data from the table at any time, regardless of if it is showing all values or is filtered based on your selections. To do so, click the Download Page button and then the Excel Download button. To go back to the main page, click the Back to Main Page button.
If you click the Options menu at the top right, you can:
• Filter by Incident and Target type, allowing you to explore incidents based on the type of attack (assault, vandalism, protest, harassment, etc.) or the target of the attack (drag performers, educators, health care providers, etc.).
• Change the date range, such as looking at data for a one-year time period. The date range defaults to the full data set available.
In all charts, you can hover over the chart for additional details.
*The incident total displayed below may vary because some incidents fall into multiple target types.
This view shows the number of incidents occurring month over month.
Graphs on the left side show the number of incidents by Incident Type (Arson, Assault, etc.). Each Incident Type is shown on its own row and in its own color.
The right side shows the number of incidents by Target Type (Drag Attacks, Education Attacks, etc.). Each Target Type is shown on its own row and in its own color.
If you click the Options menu at the top right, you can:
• Change the view from showing breakdowns to just a single chart showing the total number of incidents by month.
• Filter by Incident Type and Target Type.
• Change the date range. The date range defaults to the full data set available.
• Hover over the chart for additional details.
*The incident total displayed below may vary because some incidents fall into multiple target types.
N/A for Target Type indicates general anti-LGBTQ incidents that don’t fall into one of the four trends we track – attacks against drag performance, health care, education, and Pride symbolism.
Dashboards Designed by
Since June 1, 2022, the ALERT Desk has tracked over 1,850 anti-LGBTQ incidents in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia, including 450+ protests, 330+ propaganda drops, 320+ acts of vandalism, 200+ bomb & mass shooting threats, 130+ assaults, and 45+ cases of arson. Tragically, these incidents have resulted in at least 161 injuries and 21 deaths.
Updated quarterly, this map seeks to provide users with up-to-date numbers on anti-LGBTQ incidents nationwide. Users are also able to dive deeper into these statistics by filtering for incidents that specifically targeted drag performers / events; medical care providers of transgender and gender non-conforming people; schools and libraries; and attacks on Pride flags and other related symbols.
For more information on the ALERT Desk, including our research methodology, key findings, analysis of nationwide trends, and more, see our report.
Have you experienced or witnessed an anti-LGBTQ incident? Please access our form below to submit an incident and access submission guidelines for the ALERT Desk.
stay tuned!
