First Anti-LGBTQ Bill of 2025 Introduced

First Anti-LGBTQ Bill of 2025 Introduced

Well, that didn't take long. Nothing says Happy New Year to the queer community like the first anti-LGBTQ bill to be introduced. You can thank the state of Indiana for introducing a bill targeting the trans community. Numbered House Bill 1041, its purpose is to expand the ban on transgender girls in sports from kindergarten all the way through college. Under this bill, transgender women cannot compete in women's sports, as defined by the state.

Last year, 574 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced, can you imagine how many more under our new political administration? Many of these bills targeted the trans community specifically, focusing on gender-affirming care, trans in sports, and education censorship.

The Indiana bill writers admit that no incidents regarding trans women in sports have been reported, but state that they want to be proactive before something happens. The sports ban was first brought into play in 2022 and included students from K to 12 the grade. There was an outbreak in protests in opposition to the bill and the governor at the time vetoed it. The Republican legislation overruled that veto and the bill was made law. A lawsuit was filed by a trans student, which was later dropped. The Indiana governor set to take control has supported anti-trans students in sports legislation and will likely pass the new bill.

Indiana comes from a very anti-queer background. There were severe laws against same-sex activity, even the death penalty for sodomy. 2023 was not a good year for queer rights in the state. A bill was passed that prohibits classroom instruction on "human sexuality" from grades K to 3rd. Also, according to the law, teachers must alert parents if students mention gender or pronoun changes. Indiana also passed a bill banning gender-affirming healthcare for minors and for people in prisons. Also that year, the state passed a law that prohibited a ban on conversion therapy, it is still legal. There is an executive order protecting state employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, but those categories are not included in the state's statutes among its non-discrimination grounds.

 

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As politicians head back into session and with the return of Trump to office, no doubt we will see a record of anti-LGBTQ bills being introduced. How far will we be headed back into the closet? Who knows. We will keep you posted as politics develops!

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