Despite setbacks in the areas of marriage and military service, gays and lesbians have made dramatic gains in equality over the past decade, according to a new study.
More states and Fortune 500 companies have anti-discrimination laws based on sexual orientation and gender identity, more Americans support the right of those who are openly gay and lesbian to serve in the military, and the number of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders who serve as elected officials has skyrocketed, according to the study by the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and the Movement Advancement Project, a Denver think tank and independent arm of the Gill Foundation.
This year, President Obama also signed a law expanding the federal hate-crime law to include sexual orientation and gender identity as a protected class.
“While enormous and heart-wrenching inequities remain, progress over the last 10 years has been extraordinary,” said Matt Foreman, who directs the gay and immigrant rights program at the San Francisco-based the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, a family foundation that promotes education and equal rights and opportunities.
The report, however, also notes that tough challenges lie ahead. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy resulted in hundreds of gay and lesbian service members being discharged from the military. And 31 states — as compared with five in 2000 — have barred gay marriage. Additionally, new HIV infections among adolescent and adult men who have sex with men grew 10 percent.
Specifically, the report found that between 2000 and 2009:
• States outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation went to 22 percent from 12 percent, an 83 percent increase.
• Fortune 500 companies that protect workers based on sexual orientation grew to 88 percent from 51 percent, and those companies that protect workers based on gender identity jumped to 35 percent from 0.6 percent.
• The number of Americans living in a state that offers some protections to same-sex couples tripled, going to 37.2 percent from 12.7 percent.
• Safe-school laws citing sexual orientation and gender identity/expression rose to 13 states from one state.
• Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in high schools grew to 4,700 from 700.
• The number of openly LGBT elected officials increased 73 percent, to 445 from 257.
• The number of gay and lesbian service members discharged from the military doubled.
Karen Crummy: 303-954-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com
