Iowa is one of the lowest Midwest states in LGBTQ+ equality, according to an annual index that evaluates all 50 states on LGBTQ+ inclusion and its impact on business.
The state ranked 9 out of 12, with Illinois having the highest score in the region and South Dakota at the bottom.
Out Leadership’s State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index measures the legislation affecting LGBTQ+ youth and adults in a state, access to health care, the views of senior elected officials, and the response to discriminatory legislation and other factors.
This is used to rank all US states to indicate which states are succeeding or failing on LGBTQ+ equality and act as a tool for employers determining where to do business and how leaders can push for inclusion – which according to the Out Leadership organization benefits employers and employees. and the communities they serve.
Here’s how the state performed in the index this year.
How did Iowa score nationally on the LGBTQ+ index?
The state ranks 34th nationally with a score of 49.60 out of 100. For context, neighboring Illinois scored 88.47. The higher the number, the better a state scores for providing protections for LGBTQ+ people.
Iowa’s 2024 score dropped compared to last year’s index, when the score was 55. The state ranked number 24 with a score of 57.73 when the index was first published in 2019.
Iowa and Florida are tied for fourth among states with the largest decline in scores in the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index. Indiana, Kansas and North Carolina followed as the states that saw the biggest declines in LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Iowa lawmakers passed bills in 2023 that would ban gender-affirming medical procedures for people under 18 and ban transgender youth from using school bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Last summer, a sweeping education bill known as Senate File 496 went into effect, banning instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation through sixth grade in Iowa and banning books depicting sex acts from school libraries.
Two lawsuits have been filed to block parts of the law, including the requirement that schools notify parents if a student asks to use a different pronoun.
In February, Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced a bill that would define “sex,” “male” and “female” in state law and what LGBTQ+ rights advocates describe as “erasure” of transgender and non-binary Iowans. The bill was not passed.
More: ‘It’s going to hurt so many people’: Iowa’s book ban law draws lawsuits from students and families
What’s the best and worst state for LGBTQ+ equality in America?
New York scored the highest, 93.67 out of 100, among all 50 states. It is the second year in a row that New York has ranked highest in LGBTQ equality.
The lowest-ranked state for LGBTQ+ equality is Arkansas. According to Out Leadership, the score of 27 is the lowest score any state has received in the six-year history of the index.
Paris Barraza is a trending general assignment reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her out pbarraza@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.
This article originally appeared in the Des Moines Register: LGBTQ+ Equality Rankings Show Iowa Declining, New York Top State
