5 Worst States To Be Queer In America

Being queer in America is relatively hard even though, according to the 15th June 2016, Supreme Court ruling that federally protects people based on their sexual orientations or gender expression. However, with the Trump presidency, the rise in hate crime has been on the rise, and queer people have had to fear for their life because of who they love. Love is love and being queer is nothing to be afraid of but is something that we need to embrace and celebrate.

According to a Gallup poll in 2019, 63% of Americans are in support of Gay Marriage compared to 44% in 2010. The US and the world, in general, are slowly changing its view and are more welcoming toward LGBTQIA+ people. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and learn more about some of the worst states to be queer in the United States.

1. Alabama

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It has a relatively small queer population, and according to CenterLink pride centers, 4 out of every 100 000 identify as queer. It also lacks in the process of passing laws that protect its queer community and is the worst state in the US for LGBTQIA+ people. Alabama is one of the few states that doesn’t participate in reported hate crimes based on gender and sexual orientation.

It is one of the few states out there that has little to no laws that positively affect its queer residents and has plenty of laws that negatively affect them. This state also has restricted the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ topics in school, and it is also considered as an archaic state.

2. Wyoming

As a queer person who was a kid in the 90s, whenever I think or hear about Wyoming, my brain immediately goes to Matthew Shepard. He was a college student who was beaten to almost death and left to die in Laramie in 1998, and this is an incident that shocked the nation. In recent years, there have been other incidents against LGBTQIA+ people, and one of the most mediatized was when a gay man was bullied into committing suicide in 2016.

Only 3.3% of Wyoming’s population identify as queer, ad the state has a relatively low number of queer residents and is considered a generally less hospitable state when it comes to queer people. 7 out of every 100 000 individuals in this state identify as queer. The cities of Casper and Cheyenne in Wyoming held their first pride marches in 2017.

3. Montana

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According to CenterLink pride centers, 4 out of every 100 000 people in Montana identify as queer. Even though the city of Missoula is a progressive city and very queer-friendly, the same cannot be said about the state as a whole. Missoula is the city where the University of Montana is located and is one of the most progressive bastions in the Big Sky state.

Missoula has queer-friendly bars, restaurants, running clubs, and even gay chorus groups. It was also the first state in Montana that has passed anti-discriminatory laws that protect members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Cities like Bozeman and the capital of the state, Helena, are also considered as some of the few gay-friendly areas in this state. Queer people still face some challenges in the states, and it limits them from adopting.

4. North Dakota

It is one of 26 states, alongside Alabama, that has laws that criminalize behaviors that carry low or negligible risk of HIV transmission, like anti-sodomy laws. These laws are, of course, considered archaic and can frequently lead to abuse and discrimination for people who are positive and can even harm public health efforts.

It also has the smallest population in the states of people who identify as LGBTQIA+, which makes up about 2.7% of the state residents. However, just like with Montana, North Dakota also has some safe spaces for queer people, and these are cities like Fargo and Grand Forks.

They are 2 of the most queer-friendly cities in the whole state, and Fargo was the first city in the state to pass anti-discrimination legislation that shields its queer residents. Fargo is also known as the city that has and hosts the longest-running Pride festivals in the state and even holds a queer film festival.

5. Kentucky

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In this state, 3 out of every 100 000 people identify as queer. Kentucky has also criminalized behaviors that carry the low or negligible risk of HIV transmission and even has State Religious Freedom Restoration Act which allows businesses to opt not to provide services to same-sex couples based on religious grounds.

Morehead City made headlines in 2015 when City Clerk Kim Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, defying the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. This sparked a demonstration by residents of the city, which had passed a nondiscriminatory ordinance several years earlier.

Other Kentucky cities considered tolerant of queer people include Louisville and Lexington, both of which have passed ordinances protecting their civil rights. The state passed the Kentucky Religious Freedom Act in 2013, which some gay groups feared would override ordinances passed to protect their civil rights.

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