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What is the government doing?
Presidents Obama and Biden have both publicly supported LGBTQ rights and passed legislation to proactively support these people.
What does regulation look like?
As of 2023, 21 states in the US have a ban on transgender students participating in sports with the gender they identify as. The Equality act amends Title VI and adds sexual orientation and gender identity (along with race and sex), making programs that receive federal funding available to everyone without discrimination.
What interest groups are there?
The Wikipedia page for LGBT political advocacy groups currently lists over 100 different groups that lobby for LGBT rights in the US. Some major ones are listed below:
American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), The Trevor Project
Past Legislation
Past Legislation
1779
Thomas Jefferson proposed a bill to change the maximum punishment for sodomy from death to castration, however this was rejected by the Virginia Legislature.
Pre-1962
Sodomy was illegal in every US state, mainly to encourage procreation rather than limiting same-sex intercourse.
1994
The US Attorney General, Janet Reno, issued an order that recognized persecution based on sexual orientation made someone qualified for asylum. This mean that if someone from a foreign country was persecuted for their orientation, they could apply for asylum and that would be a recognized and valid reason.
2015
The US Supreme Court heard the Obergefell v Hodges case and decided that the US would start recognizing same-sex marriage equality in all 50 states, removing any state bans. Additionally, if a couple got married in one state, their marriage would still be valid in other states (which previously was not the case). This was seen as monumental progress and was publicly celebrated across the country.Â
Sources: US Congress, Center for American Progress, Wikipedia
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