A new report from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has revealed that public support for the LGBTQ+ community receiving equal rights within the United States has actually gone down in 2024, coinciding with the increasing LGBTQ+ legislation spreading throughout the United States.
Annual GLAAD Report
Every year, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) makes a report checking public support for the LGBTQ+ community across the United States, and this year’s report has people concerned.
What Is GLAAD?
GLAAD was initially founded in 1985 to combat defamatory and sensationalist media coverage of LGBTQ+ issues, but over the years, they have expanded its mission to promote fair, accurate, and inclusive representation in the media.
Monitoring Changing Views
Part of their new mission is monitoring the changing relationship and views towards the LGBTQ+ community in the United States, which has shown chiefly positive growth since the organization’s conception.
Support Drops to 80%
However, this year’s report saw a decrease in support for equal rights being given to the LGBTQ+ community, dropping from 84% in 2023 to 80% in 2024.
Support Remains Strong
According to the GLAAD report, “support for equal rights for the LGBTQ community remains strong, though we have seen a small decline from the previous year.”
Majority Still Support Safety
Thankfully, the report shows that the majority of US adults outside the community believe people within said community still deserve to live free from fear and discrimination, with 91% agreeing with this view.
Extremists Undermine Equality
However, GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis says extremist lawmakers and sensationalizing media coverage are actively working to undermine LGBTQ+ equality.
Harmful Legislative Proposals
Ellis stated in the report, “Extremist politicians and media have relentlessly targeted LGBTQ people with harmful legislative proposals and disinformation campaigns.”
Disinformation Campaigns
Conservative politicians and media figures have heavily invested in disinformation campaigns that misrepresent the LGBTQ+ community, leading to a negative shift in the community’s perception.
Strategies of Fear
Ellis highlighted this issue, saying, “The same lawmakers and extremist judges targeting abortion access, contraception, immigration, voting rights, and free speech are using the same strategies of fear and disinformation to undermine LGBTQ people and our equality.”
Substantial Alarms
“While acceptance for LGBTQ people remains at supermajority levels, the data this year also sounds substantial alarms about threats to this progress and to freedoms valued by every American,” said Ellis.
500 Anti-LGBTQ Bills Introduced
Since January 2024, over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced across the United States, and though the vast majority have not become laws, the push behind them can still have real-world consequences.
Increase in Discrimination
What may be the most troubling revelation from the reports is the sharp increase in discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals across the United States in 2024.
Rising Concerns in Gen Z
The report says that 72% of LGBTQ+ adults believe that anti-LGBTQ+ legislation will lead to further harm to the community, with this concern rising all the way to 85% among LGBTQ+ Gen Z adults.
Mental Health Toll
With these fears taking on an authentic presence in the minds of LGBTQ+ adults, it has unsurprisingly taken a toll on their mental health and well-being.
Negative Impacts on Well-being
The report said, “84% of LGBTQ adults report that the current state of political discourse is causing negative impacts on their mental health and emotional well-being.”
Negative Media Representation
With the negative representations of the LGBTQ+ community spreading rapidly across the media, it is not surprising that LGBTQ+ mental health is declining while LGBTQ+ support is slowly declining.
Media Plays a Big Role
As the report says, “Media portrayals play a big role in non-LGBTQ American’s perception and comfortability with our community.”
Rising to Speak Out
However, due to this negative representation, it seems as though more members of the LGBTQ+ community are finding the inspiration to speak and stand up for each other in the face of misinformation campaigns.
Inspired to Speak Up
“Our study shows that more non-LGBTQ people have been inspired to speak up for LGBTQ equality as a result of news coverage and political debates around our community,” said Ellis.
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