Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in Puerto Rico have most of the same protections and rights as non-LGBT individuals. Public discussion and debate about sexual orientation and gender identity issues has increased,and some legal changes have been made. Supporters and opponents of legislation protecting the rights of LGBT persons can be found in both of the major political parties. Public opposition still exists due,in large part,to the strong influence of the Roman Catholic Church,as well as socially conservative Protestants. Puerto Rico has a great influence on the legal rights of LGBT citizens. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the commonwealth since July 2015,after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional.
Dennis K. Kruse is an American businessman and politician. Kruse was a founder of the auction business Kruse International before entered politics as a Republican. He was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1989 to 2004 and the Indiana Senate from 2004 to 2022,representing Senate District 14.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of West Virginia face legal challenges not faced by non-LGBT persons. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1976,and same-sex marriage has been recognized since October 2014. West Virginia statutes do not address discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity;however,the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBTQ people is illegal.
John Richard Gregg is an American politician,businessman and attorney who served as the 85th and longest-serving Democratic speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1996 to 2003. He served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1987 to 2003.
Todd Christopher Young is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Indiana,a seat he has held since 2017. A member of the Republican Party,Young previously served as the U.S. representative for Indiana's 9th congressional district. He was elected to the United States Senate in the November 8,2016,general election,succeeding retiring Republican Dan Coats. From 2019 to 2021,he served as the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Young was reelected in 2022.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Hawaii enjoy the same rights as non-LGBTQ people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1973;Hawaii being one of the first six states to legalize it. In 1993,a ruling by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court made Hawaii the first state to consider legalizing same-sex marriage. Following the approval of the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act in November 2013,same-sex couples have been allowed to marry on the islands. Additionally,Hawaii law prohibits discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity,and the use of conversion therapy on minors has been banned since July 2018. Gay and lesbian couples enjoy the same rights,benefits and treatment as opposite-sex couples,including the right to marry and adopt.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) people in Texas have some protections in state law but may face legal and social challenges not faced by others. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in Texas in 2003 by the Lawrence v. Texas ruling. On June 26,2015,the Supreme Court of the United States ruled bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) rights in the U.S. state of Indiana have been shaped by both state and federal law. These evolved from harsh penalties established early in the state's history to the decriminalization of same-sex activity in 1977 and the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2014. Indiana was subject to an April 2017 federal court ruling that discrimination based on sexual orientation is tantamount to discrimination on account of "sex",as defined by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ruling establishes sexual orientation as a protected characteristic in the workplace,forbidding unfair discrimination,although Indiana state statutes do not include sexual orientation or gender identity among its categories of discrimination.
Allen Lucas Messer is an American politician and lobbyist who represented Indiana's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Indiana Senate Bill 101,titled the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA),is a law in the U.S. state of Indiana,which allows individuals and companies to assert as a defense in legal proceedings that their exercise of religion has been,or is likely to be,substantially burdened.
Thomas Washburne is a Republican member of the Indiana House of Representatives,representing the 64th District since 2013. In 2017,Washburne announced that he would not be running for reelection to the State House.
Advance America is a conservative political advocacy group in the U.S. state of Indiana. Advance America claims that it is a "non-partisan tax exempt,educational organization." It claims affiliation with approximately 4,000 Indiana churches,nearly one third of all churches in the state of Indiana.
James Daniel Bishop is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 8th congressional district since 2019,when the district was numbered “9”. As a Republican,his district includes south-central Mecklenburg,Union,Anson,Richmond,Scotland,Robeson,Hoke,and southern Moore Counties. He served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2015 to 2017 and the Mecklenburg County Commission from 2005 to 2009. He served in the North Carolina State Senate from 2017 to 2019.
A bathroom bill is the common name for legislation or a statute that denies access to public toilets by gender or transgender identity. Bathroom bills affect access to sex-segregated public facilities for an individual based on a determination of their sex as defined in some specific way,such as their sex as assigned at birth,their sex as listed on their birth certificate,or the sex that corresponds to their gender identity. A bathroom bill can either be inclusive or exclusive of transgender individuals,depending on the aforementioned definition of their sex.
Joseph Albert "Trey" Hollingsworth III is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Indiana's 9th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party,Hollingsworth served on the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. Hollingsworth was the vice ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Investor Protection,Entrepreneurship,and Capital Markets and a member of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion.
Michael Kent Braun is an American businessman and politician who is the governor-elect of Indiana. A member of the Republican Party,he has served as the junior United States senator from Indiana since 2019 and previously represented the 63rd district in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2014 to 2017. Braun was elected to the United States Senate in 2018,defeating Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly. He was then elected governor in 2024,defeating Democratic nominee Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian nominee Donald Rainwater.
Victoria Spartz is a Ukrainian-American politician and businesswoman who is the U.S. representative for Indiana's 5th congressional district. Spartz is a member of the Republican Party,but not the House Republican Conference,and does not receive Republican committee assignments. She previously represented the 20th district in the Indiana Senate.
Julianne Young is an American politician from Idaho. Young is a Republican member of Idaho House of Representatives from District 30 seat B.
Indiana HB 1041 is a bill which bars transgender girls from participating in women's sports teams in K-12 schools. The bill passed the state House on January 27,2022,and Senate on March 1,2022. Governor Eric Holcomb vetoed the bill on March 21,2022,and the veto was overridden on May 24,2022. The legislation garnered controversy with prominent organizations like the ACLU and the Human Rights Campaign publicly opposing this bill.
Kit Malone is an American transgender rights activist and educator active in Indiana. As of June 2022,she serves as Advocacy Strategist at the American Civil Liberties Union Indiana chapter,where she leads the chapter's LGBTQ Rights Project. Malone was formerly Director of Diversity and board member for Indy Pride. As an advocate for transgender and LGBT rights,Malone has campaigned against state laws in Indiana,and is frequently cited as a spokesperson in the media.
