Just a three weeks into 2019, five states have expanded the rights of their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer residents.
“Anti-LGBTQ lawmakers all over the country, who were some of the most vocal opponents, lost their seats,” Kasey Suffredini, president of strategy at LGBTQ rights group Freedom for All Americans, told NBC News. “That has sent a signal to lawmakers that the pubic is increasingly supportive of LGBTQ people.”
Four of the 20 new governors who took office this month, three Democrats and one Republican, signed nondiscrimination orders that include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, signed an executive order on Jan. 7, his first day in office, requiring state agencies to develop and implement policies preventing discrimination against employees based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
