This map shows just how far LGBT nondiscrimination law has left to go

By Fusion Staff  |  October 28, 2015 | 2:40pm
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Despite recent gains for same-sex marriage, the push for LGBT civil rights is far from over. Case in point: Nearly half of the United States’ population is not protected from employment discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

A new report from the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), in collaboration with the Equality Federation Institute, examines LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances (NDOs) at the state, county, and city level. According to MAP’s findings, only 51% of Americans are protected by an LGBT-inclusive NDO, and only 56% are protected by an LGB-inclusive law.

Twenty-two states protect their residents from employment discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation, and only 19 states provide similar protections on the basis of their gender identity. (Washington, D.C., offers both.) The rest of 158 million Americans covered by LGBT-inclusive legislation are protected by city or county ordinances.

The report also spotlights a rural/urban divide between Americans who are protected versus those who are not. According to MAP, LGBT city-dwellers are more than 50 times more likely to be covered by NDOs than their peers in more rural communities.

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