The Most (and Least) Gay Friendly States, Ranked by Law and Cost

The most Gay Friendly states by law are California and Colorado, followed by Maine, New York and Illinois. The least protective is Tennessee, followed by Arkansas, Idaho, South Carolina and Alabama. Those rankings come from the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), which scores every state's LGBTQ laws. The catch is cost: of the 15 High-tier states and DC, 14 cost more than the national average on MERIC's cost-of-living index. This guide covers the top and bottom of the rankings, the protective states that are also affordable, and how to think about a Gay Friendly city in a less friendly state. Scores and law counts below are as of October 2026; MAP updates its maps as laws change, and we re-check them after legislative sessions and elections.

The Short Answer

• Most protective: California and Colorado (tied), Maine, New York and Illinois lead MAP's policy scores.
• Least protective: Tennessee, Arkansas, Idaho, South Carolina and Alabama score lowest.
• Protective and affordable: Minnesota and Illinois are the only top-tier states that cost at or below the national average on both major cost-of-living measures. New Mexico and Michigan are strong value picks one tier down.
• City vs state: cities such as Austin, Atlanta and Columbus earn perfect scores for local LGBTQ policy, but state law still applies.

How the Rankings Work

MAP's Equality Maps score each state on more than 50 laws and policies, from nondiscrimination and family law to health care and criminal justice. Each state's overall score combines a sexual orientation score and a gender identity score, out of a maximum of 47, and MAP sorts states into five tiers: High, Medium, Fair, Low and Negative. A negative score means the points a state loses for harmful laws outweigh the points it earns for protective ones.

The split is stark. Fifteen states and Washington, DC are in the High tier, and 20 states are Negative. MAP estimates that about 40% of LGBTQ people live in High states and 38% in Negative ones.

To check opinion as well as law, we also use PRRI's 2025 American Values Atlas, a survey of more than 22,000 Americans published in March 2026. Nationally, 72% of Americans support laws protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination.

The Most Gay Friendly and Safest States

These are MAP's High-tier states, with their overall score out of 47. Cost of living uses the MERIC index for the second quarter of 2026, where 100 is the US average.

What these states have in common: explicit protections against discrimination in jobs, housing and public places for both sexual orientation and gender identity, bans on conversion therapy for minors, hate crime laws that cover sexual orientation and gender identity (Rhode Island's covers sexual orientation only), and no bans on transgender health care for young people. Public support tends to match. In PRRI's survey, support for nondiscrimination protections reaches 85% in Massachusetts and 82% in Maryland and DC.

For where the gay scene is strongest, rather than where the laws are, see our gayest states ranking, which scores states by their gay cities.

The Least Gay Friendly States

These are the ten lowest MAP scores. All are in the Negative tier.

Most of the gap comes from laws about gender identity. MAP counts 23 states with a negative gender identity score, compared with 7 states negative on sexual orientation. Laws common in the bottom tier include bans on gender-affirming care for minors, sports bans for transgender students (29 states, 27 of them by law), bathroom restrictions and "religious exemption" laws, according to MAP. MAP's local ordinance map notes that Tennessee and Arkansas also have laws that prevent cities from passing or enforcing their own nondiscrimination ordinances.

In some low-scoring states, residents are ahead of their laws. In PRRI's survey, 69% of Texans, 68% of Tennesseans and 67% of Floridians support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people.

The Gay Friendly States You Can Actually Afford

A common question is why the most Gay Friendly states are also so expensive. The rankings bear it out: California, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey and DC all score in MAP's High tier and cost well above the national average. It matters, too. In MAP's 2025 survey of LGBTQ adults, 93% of those who had moved or considered moving said affordability factored into whether or where to move.

We paired MAP's scores with two cost measures, MERIC's 2026 index and the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis's regional price parities for 2024, and only called a state affordable when both agree.

• Minnesota: High tier (35.75), though its sexual orientation score alone is Medium. Cost of living 93.4 on MERIC and 98.6 on the federal measure, with housing below average on both. Minneapolis and St. Paul have a large gay scene; see our Twin Cities guide.
• Illinois: High tier and fifth overall (42.5). Cost of living 94.5 on MERIC and about average (100.0) on the federal measure. Chicago itself runs above average (103.6 on the federal metro measure), while the rest of the state is cheaper. See our Chicago guide.
• New Mexico: Medium tier (34.5), just under MAP's High cutoff, with a High score on gender identity. At 90.2 and 92.2, it is the lowest-cost state among those near the top of the rankings.
• Michigan: Medium tier (27.5). Cost of living 92.1 and 96.2, with low housing costs. See our Detroit gay scene page.

Two more come close. Colorado ties for first on MAP's scores but runs slightly above average on cost (102.7 and 103.1); our Denver guide covers its scene. Nevada is High tier and about average on the federal measure (105.4 on MERIC), though housing costs are above average. Maine and Vermont come in below average on the federal measure but well above it on MERIC, so we don't count them.

What "Gay Friendly" Means in Law

When MAP scores a state, the biggest factors are:

• Nondiscrimination laws: 22 states and DC explicitly ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing, and 21 states and DC in public places such as stores and restaurants, according to MAP. Federally, the Supreme Court's 2020 Bostock decision protects workers at employers with 15 or more staff in every state.
• Health care: 27 states have passed bans on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and courts have blocked two of them (Montana and Kansas), according to MAP.
• Conversion therapy: 22 states and DC ban conversion therapy for minors.
• Hate crimes: 23 states and DC have hate crime laws covering both sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Family law: marriage equality applies in every state, but parentage laws, adoption rules and religious-exemption laws for agencies vary.

If You're Transgender

MAP counts 23 states with a negative gender identity score, so check these laws closely:

• Health care: 16 states and DC have "shield" laws protecting access to transgender health care, and two more states have executive orders, according to MAP. New Mexico, though Medium overall, scores High on gender identity.
• Bathrooms and sports: check MAP's bathroom and sports maps for the state you're considering.
• ID documents: check whether you can update the gender marker on your driver's license and birth certificate on MAP's identity documents map.

A Gay Friendly City in a Less Friendly State

A city's own policies can be far stronger than its state's. The Human Rights Campaign's 2025 Municipal Equality Index, which scores cities' own policies out of 100, gave perfect scores to Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta, Columbus, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, among others. Dallas scored 93, New Orleans 88 and Nashville 80.

A city's score covers what the city controls: its own nondiscrimination ordinance, police liaisons, city employee benefits and services. State law still applies on top. A trans teenager in Austin is covered by the Texas ban on gender-affirming care, and in Tennessee and Arkansas state law limits what cities can enforce. For a weekend or a night out, a city like Atlanta or Columbus is welcoming. For a move, check both layers.

Why LGBTQ People Move States

In a 2025 survey of 1,055 LGBTQ adults by MAP and NORC, 25% had considered moving to another state, rising to 43% of transgender adults. Five percent of LGBTQ adults, and 9% of transgender adults, said they had already moved since November 2024 because of LGBTQ-related laws or politics.

Before You Move: A Checklist

• Check MAP's state profile: look at both the sexual orientation and gender identity scores, not just the tier.
• Check the city too: look up its Municipal Equality Index score and whether it has its own nondiscrimination ordinance.
• Health care: if you or a family member need gender-affirming care, check the state's laws on it for both adults and minors.
• Family: if you have or plan to have kids, check the state's parentage and adoption laws. The federal Respect for Marriage Act requires every state to recognize a marriage performed in another state.
• Cost: compare housing costs specifically. Housing is the line that varies most: MERIC's housing index runs from 65.1 in Oklahoma to 302.6 in Hawaii.
• Community: visit first. Our guide to the most Gay Friendly cities in the US covers where the scenes are.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which state is the most LGBTQ friendly?

By law, California and Colorado tie for first in the Movement Advancement Project's policy scores, at 44.5 out of 47, followed by Maine, New York and Illinois. By public opinion, PRRI's survey found the highest support for LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections in Massachusetts, at 85%.

What is the least LGBTQ friendly state?

Tennessee has the lowest score in MAP's rankings, at -16.5, followed by Arkansas, Idaho, South Carolina and Alabama. All five are in MAP's Negative tier.

What is the safest state for LGBTQ people?

By law, the states in MAP's High tier, led by California, Colorado, Maine, New York and Illinois. See the full table above.

Where is the safest place to live for LGBTQ people?

A city with a strong Municipal Equality Index score in a state in MAP's High tier gives you both layers of protection.

What state is the most accepting of LGBTQ people?

By public opinion, Massachusetts: 85% of residents support LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections in PRRI's 2025 survey, followed by Maryland and DC at 82%.

What is the best state to live in if you're gay?

It depends on your budget. If cost matters, Minnesota and Illinois combine MAP's top tier with living costs at or below the national average, and New Mexico and Michigan are affordable one tier down. If cost doesn't matter, California and Colorado top the legal rankings.

Why are the most LGBTQ friendly states so expensive?

Of the 15 High-tier states and DC, 14 cost more than the national average on MERIC's index, led by Massachusetts, California and DC. The exceptions: Minnesota and Illinois score in MAP's top tier and cost less than the national average to live in.

Is it safe to be gay in a red state?

Some cities in low-scoring states have strong local protections, including Austin, Atlanta and Columbus, which earned perfect scores in HRC's 2025 Municipal Equality Index. State law still applies, and it matters most for transgender people and families.