Released on Wednesday, the Annual Accelerating Acceptance study by GLAAD has found that 59% of LGBTQ+ Americans (out of 2,506 participants) have experienced discrimination within the past year, compared to less than 50% in 2020. Although the majority agreed that housing and employment benefits discrimination should be illegal, only 61% of non-LGBTQ+ respondents agreed that trans bathroom discrimination should be outlawed, with an additional 47% saying that they were “unfamiliar” with trans and non-binary people.
The vast majority of all respondents believe that housing discrimination has already been criminalised, even though there are actually “no comprehensive federal protections for LGBTQ+ people” if they are evicted or denied housing because of their identity. GLAAD President and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, said the findings highlight a “dangerous reality” for LGBTQ+ Americans, as many are “not aware that LGBTQ+ people are not federally protected from discrimination in many areas of life”.
Ellis continued: “With a large majority of Americans expressing that federal law should protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in areas of life in which they are currently not protected, it is more crucial than ever that we elect pro-equality candidates who will pass comprehensive legislation like the Equality Act”, which was passed by the national House of Representatives earlier this year.
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