Divided States: Homophobia Is Rampant in America’s South

In the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shooting, here’s a look at America’s most homophobic states.

Same-sex marriage supporters celebrating the historic verdict in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Anita Komuves)

About a year ago, a happy crowd cheered outside the United States Supreme Court. There were tears, smiles, flags and a lot of hugs: the Supreme Court had just legalised gay marriage in all 50 states.

26 June 2015 was a historic day for the LGBTQ community in the US. After decades of fighting for recognition, the court finally caved – the community had won for themselves the right to marry. However, the mass shooting of 50 people in a gay club in Florida reveals the ugly reality in a country that continues to struggle to accept that sexuality does not fit into heteronormative, cisgendered boxes.

Though the Supreme Court’s ruling overturned state laws banning gay marriage, discrimination against people with alternate sexualities persists, especially in America’s Southern religious states and the Midwest.

Juan Mantilla, 42, of Miami Beach, Fla., left, stands with his partner during a vigil in memory of the victims of the Orlando mass shooting. (Photo: AP)

Marriage Is Legal, But Not Everyone Is Happy

There are still many people in the US who are against gay marriage. Most of these are in the South, like Louisiana, where 69 percent of people think gay marriage shouldn’t be legal.

Comparatively, in Northern states like Massachusetts and Connecticut, 43 percent of people are against LGBTQ marriage, as are 47 percent of people in New York and Maine.

Data from The Williams Institute.

From Alabama to Texas, Laws Against LGBTQ Rights Abound

States like Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Arizona and Louisiana have particularly intolerant laws against homosexuality.

In Mississippi, shop owners, businesses and individuals are allowed to use their religious beliefs to deny service to LGBTQ people. In Alabama, teachers are required to tell their students that homosexuality is not socially acceptable and can be considered a criminal offence.

Louisiana is one of 12 states that bans sodomy, which can include certain types of LGBTQ sex. Police used this law to target gay men in a sting operation in 2013 – undercover cops would pretend to be gay to trick gay men into going home with them, only to get arrested.

Laws such as these do not exist in states like New York.

The Orlando Eye Observation Wheel lit up to show solidarity with the queer community. (Photo: AP)

Trolls and Online Slurs

Discrimination against the LGBTQ community also seeps into social media discourse. A study of tweets with homophobic and transphobic tweets found that even in states that are normally considered liberal, levels of intolerance are high.

Buffalo, New York had the most offensive tweets, and five cities in California made it on the top ten most offensive cities list.

Data from Abodo.

Though studies show younger generations tend to be more open about accepting different types of sexuality, many of those in positions of power to make laws and guide national discourse come from an older generation. The US is still a long way from granting LGBTQ communities equal rights, both at the political and social level.

Also Read: Not Religion or Guns, Hate Caused the Orlando Shooting