President Biden signs memo to protect LGBTQ rights around the globe
The memo directs executive departments and U.S. agencies working abroad “promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons everywhere.”
LGBTQ+ rights & well-being
This archive tracks real progress on LGBTQ+ rights and well-being — from legal protections and policy wins to health access, community support, and cultural recognition. Each story focuses on what’s working and where momentum is building, offering a grounded, hopeful look at a topic that shapes millions of lives.
Pete Buttigieg becomes America’s first out Cabinet member
Buttigieg was confirmed as the Secretary of Transportation by a bipartisan vote.
President Biden overturns the ban on transgender military personnel
“President Biden believes that gender identity should not be a bar to military service, and that America’s strength is found in its diversity,” the White House said in an emailed statement.
Joe Biden signs sweeping executive order fighting anti-LGBTQ discrimination
Biden’s order tells the heads of all executive agencies to ensure that they are interpreting bans on sex discrimination in U.S. federal law to also “prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.”
The United States’ first out trans state senator is sworn in to office
Sarah McBride is now the highest-ranking transgender elected official in U.S. history.
New York enacts legislation that requires single-person bathrooms to be gender neutral
School, restaurants, and state-operated facilities in the Empire State will have to make single-occupancy restrooms open to anyone, regardless of gender.
Bhutan Parliament votes to decriminalize homosexuality
Sixty-three of the 69 members of the Bhutan Parliament voted in favor of making gay sex legal; the other six were absent.
U.S. Supreme Court hands victory to transgender students in locker room case
The Supreme Court has declined to take up a case brought by Oregon parents who want to exclude transgender students from school locker rooms and restrooms.
Switzerland is set to be the next country to legalize marriage equality
The Council of States passed a law that would legalize marriage equality with a 22-15 vote, with seven abstentions. The lower house passed the bill this past June. The bill now goes back to the National Council for final approval and it is expected to pass before the end of the year.
Nasdaq to mandate diversity requirements for listed companies
The diversity requirements would mandate that each of the Nasdaq’s 3,249 companies have at least one female director and at least one director who identifies as an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+.