ARKANSAS, USA — This year for the first time since Out Leadership began publishing the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index five years ago, the nation’s overall average score on LGBTQ+ equality dropped -1.14 points.
The net negative rating for the country is largely due to over 500 anti-equality bills introduced at the state level this legislative cycle.
In the 2023 Index, Arkansas fell four slots to #50 with an overall score of 32.00 out of 100. Last year, Arkansas ranked #46 with a total score of 35.93.
“This year Arkansas fell four spots to dead last, beating South Carolina as the worst state in the country for LGBTQ+ equality,” said Todd Sears, founder and CEO of Out Leadership.
“The performance of states like Arkansas have played a major role in dragging the entire country’s ranking down, and for the first time in history resulting in an overall net negative across all 50 states," said Sears.
The 2023 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index released by Out Leadership, the premier global LGBTQ+ organization harnessing the power of business to drive equality, finds “the state of LGBTQ+ access and equality in the U.S. is regressing,” signaling an increase in "polarization across the country in political and cultural attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community.”
Top 5 "Best" States for LGBTQ+ Equality:
- 1) New York – 93.67
- 2) Connecticut – 93.27
- 3) Massachusetts – 92.67
- 4) New Jersey – 90.00
- 5) Colorado – 88.67
The 5 "Worst" States for LGBTQ+ Equality:
- 46) South Dakota – 34.97
- 47) Tennessee – 34.40
- 48) Louisiana – 33.50
- 49) South Carolina – 32.50
- 50) Arkansas – 32.00
Sears continued, “As greater numbers of multinational companies continue to shift away from US-based operations, the business impact of this year’s index points to a harmful effect on the nation’s economy and job market. Major corporate employers want to locate places where they can recruit the best talent, without having to worry about state and local laws hindering their overall business success. Companies simply don’t want to be at odds with the business policies and practices of the state they operate in, and they certainly don’t want to feel attacked by them.”
“While the top-ranked states for LGBTQ+ equality broadly are staying strong, the bottom-ranked states decreased in score significantly. This continues to signal increasing polarization across the country in political and cultural attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community,” said Brian Sims, Managing Director, Public Policy and Government Affairs for Out Leadership.
Out Leadership’s State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index is an assessment of all 50 states’ performance on LGBTQ+ inclusion. The index measures the impact government policies and prevalent attitudes have on LGBTQ+ people residing in each state, quantifying the economic imperatives for inclusion and the costs of discrimination. It is a multidimensional index based on a broad array of markers of policies, attitudes, and measurements relating to LGBTQ+ inclusion. These markers are carefully chosen to accurately reflect the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in each state. You can view the index’s methodology here.
Sears concluded, “The economic outlook of anti-equality states is being imperiled by politicians more interested in scoring political points than protecting the future livelihoods of citizens.”
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.