Wave of anti-LGBT bills across the US includes increasing bans on trans, gay pride flags

The ACLU and other LGBT+ advocacy groups in the United States are sounding the alarm on a wave of anti-trans and anti-LGBT bills being proposed and passed across the country, including an increasing number of attempts to pass state and municipal bans on displaying the gay pride and trans flags.

Some districts in the US have already banned the display of the trans and gay pride flags on government property, and more are considering implementing similar bans. USA Today reported such flag restrictions in communities in New York, Ohio, Utah, Wisconsin, and more. The American Civil Liberties Union says on its website, “While more states every year work to pass laws to protect LGBTQ people, state legislatures are advancing bills that target transgender people, limit local protections, and allow the use of religion to discriminate.”

In August last year, a Wisconsin school district enacted a controversial ban on teachers displaying gay or trans pride flags or other symbolism or identifying their pronouns in official emails. School districts in Oregon, Missouri and Florida have done the same, according to advocacy publication Connect. University of Connecticut professor Ryan Watson told Connect, “One of the biggest downsides [of banning trans and gay pride flags in schools] is the inability for youth who are not out to know where they can be safe, and who they could talk to in an emergency, or who they can first come out to and not lose resources or safety.” 

According to the ACLU’s tracker, there are currently 327 anti-LGBT bills in the United States, including flag bans, restrictions on gender affirming care, and more. 120 of them were introduced in the first three weeks of 2023.