Just released is an annual report on equality -- the 2023 Out Leadership State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index.New York tops off the list as the most equitable state with a score of 93.6 out of 100."There are still some trans protections that are missing, especially around health care, and it's more of an average as well. I don't think any of the states will ever have an absolute perfect score of the New York has had the highest for the last three years," Sears said.
Of the bottom five states, Arkansas is dead last for LGBTQ+ support with a score of only 32 out of 100."Can trans people change their birth certificates or their driver's licenses and what has the governor specifically said. What laws have been passed or rejected. Health and family services. Can people have health care. Is HIV criminalized," Sears said.
He said this PRIDE month is all about galvanizing a community to step up, tell its story, and be counted. Overall, the average score across the U.S. ticked down for the first time in five years, coming in at 63.48 out of 100.