Each year through extensive polling and research, GLAAD looks at the state of America’s hearts and minds when it comes to accepting LGBTQ people.
In this critical election year, the 2020 Accelerating Acceptance Study takes a deeper look at the general public’s understanding of the landscape of LGBTQ rights in America.
This year’s findings highlight an alarming reality: the majority of Americans, both LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ, believe that LGBTQ people have federal protections in areas of life in which they do not. The reality is that there are no consistent and explicit federal anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in housing, education, public accommodations, and many other areas of life. In 27 states, there are no non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans.
The promising finding from this year’s Accelerating Acceptance Study is that despite the lack of federal protections for LGBTQ people, the majority of non-LGBTQ Americans believe that these protections should exist. This stands in direct contrast to the Trump administration’s over 180 attacks on the LGBTQ community, which continue to target the rights of LGBTQ people and put the most marginalized within our community at greater risk.
The 2020 Accelerating Acceptance Study is a clear reminder that LGBTQ people and allies must turnout in record numbers this November to elect pro-equality candidates who will pass comprehensive legislation like the Equality Act and overturn discriminatory measures imposed on LGBTQ people, like the transgender military ban.