Which State Has the Most Repressive Policies Against the GLBT Community?

[tekisui]

I am starting a research paper and want to compare the worst state with one of the most progressive states(MA or VT). Is any one state especially worse than another?

I am assuming that Georgia, Florida and Arizona are among the worst. The laws that prohibit adoption for any non-heterosexual are astounding. If I am correct, Florida and Arizona have those policies.

I am not trying to have anyone do research for me, I am getting ready to dive into it heavily, but I know DU and the GLBT Forum are great resources. If you know a state that is particularly abhorrent, I would greatly appreciate being steered to it. Thanks is advance!:hi:

[XanaDUer]

1. Start with this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_adoption

Then contact your local library and see what online sociological databases they have that you may get from home (make sure to get a library card if you don't have one) and, of course, any school you may be attending. Many states have a cooperative that allows residents access to many full-text databases through the internet with username and password, and are free.

Good luck.

[tekisui]

2. Thanks, the maps are helpful.

That compilation is exactly what I was looking for in deciding a state. Now, the fun part.

[LoveIsNow]

3. Arizona has no such policy to my knowledge

My home state of Florida is the only state to explicitly prohibit adoption by non-heterosexuals :individuals or couples(though we are allowed to foster children). Mississippi bars same-sex couples from adopting, but has no law against individuals. Utah, Oklahoma, and Arkansas all forbid cohabiting couples of any gender from adopting (Arkansas by a recent constitutional amendment). Michigan courts have held the same but on at least one occasion a judge has granted a same-sex couple adoption.

The most striking state law to me is Virginia's Affirmation of Marriage Act and Marshall-Newman Amendment which prohibit statutorily and constitutionally not only same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships, but private contracts between same-sex couples that provide rights similar to marriage (i.e. hospital visitation, inheritance, etc.).

[tekisui]

4. Wow. Thanks for the heads up on the Virginia law.

I wasn't aware of that one. I think I mixed up Arizona and Arkansas on the adoption ban.

[theHandpuppet]

9. I will second that condemnation of Virginia

I have felt the sting of their gay-hating laws firsthand.

[mitchtv]

5. Virginia , by a wide margin

the most homophobic, good for nothing ,useless piece of sh-t in the US

[NMMNG]

7. When I was moving cross country to CA

We purposely went several hundred miles out of our way to avoid setting foot in VA because they're such hateful anti-gay assholes there.

[Bitwit1234]

8. You beat me to it......

The little pocket of sensible people in northern Virginia around the DC area doesn't agree with them...but most of Virginia is entrenched in republicanism at it's worst. We can blame that on Farwell and his religious fervor...he spread it thru as much of Virginia as he could.

[theHandpuppet]

10. Plenty of racist shit assholes there, too

Within the first week my partner and I moved to the mountains of NW Virginia, the KKK came in the middle of the night and left a message on our doorstep. I'm sure there are many fine folks all over the Commonwealth (particularly in NE VA) but we were both blown away by the palpable undercurrent of racism that persists along the old Blue Ridge, especially in areas where many of the old plantation estates still exist. Despite the incredible natural beauty of the land, there were times when driving the backroads that we literally felt a malevolent presence that made our skin crawl. And no, we are not new age folk (my partner is one of the most pragmatic and literal folks you'll ever meet) but I swear we have never encountered anything like that before or since.

We moved to West Virginia nearly ten years ago and haven't had any negative experiences at all. All of our neighbors in this working class, blue-collar neighborhood -- with the exception of one fundie couple who simply ignore us -- have been totally friendly and welcoming. My partner still commutes to Virginia for her job and that's why we are still victimized by Virginia's gay-hating laws. I don't hold out much hope that the laws in Virginia will change anytime soon. Decades, even. After all, Virginia didn't even ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution (which granted women the right to vote) until 1952, 32 years after it became law. And with RW fundie whackjob McDonnell(R) leading the governor's race in VA, I hold out little to no hope for GLBT progress for the foreseeable future.

Here is one link to an article about Virginia's laws: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36314-2004Jun12.html

[tekisui]

11. Thanks for the link.

I cannot imagine what you have dealt with. Thank you for sharing you story. I really appreciate widening my perspective.

[NMMNG]

6. AR, ID, MI and OH are tied for bottom place

according to this handy chart. They all have scores of 0.5 of a possible 6. Sadly four states have less than 1, twenty-one have a 1 and seven have a 2. In other words fully half the states are below the half-way mark. So much for the claim that we're doing groovy WRT our rights. (No states currently have a 6, though California did briefly--before Proposition 8.)

[closeupready]

12. And to think that I used to consider moving to Ariz. What the heck was I thinking?

:mad:

[tekisui]

13. I was mixed up on the Arizona adoption law.

But, they still aren't great.

[tbyg52]

14. Bookmarking this thread, thank you for the info

I am considering moving to another state (from TX), and had no idea VA (for example) was so horrible.

[ShadowLiberal]

15. This posting by Nate Silver & the study he links to will come in handy

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/06/gay-rights-are-popular-in-many.html

He posts a chart from a PDF document you can download that shows how certain gay rights poll from state to state, and if gays have those rights in those states or not.

[tekisui]

16. That is an incredible chart.

Thanks so much for the link. This is what I love about DU. I have spent hours doing scholarly research, and have found some great articles and documents, but nothing as clear and concise in one chart. Thanks again!:hi:

It's a bonus that it is done by Nate Silver, he freakin rawks.