LGBTQ adults as a whole—but transgender and nonbinary adults especially—are experiencing an extraordinarily difficult and stressful political environment, leading to significant impacts on their everyday lives.  Survey findings from the Movement Advancement Project and NORC show that the majority of LGBTQ adults report harm, mistreatment, and other negative experiences since the 2024 Presidential election.

Click below to navigate this brief. Note that each section concludes with a set of arrows (↑ ↑ ↑) that redirect back to the table of contents.

contents

• IntroductionView
• MethodologyView
• Recent LGBTQ-Related Politics Lead to Major Life DecisionsRead Section
• Mistreatment and Other Negative Experiences Related to Being LGBTQ Read Section
• Harms to Health and Well-BeingRead Section
• Emotional Responses to Trump's Anti-LGBTQ ActionsRead Section
• Presidential and Governmental Approval RatingRead Section
• Top Factors in the 2024 Presidential ElectionRead Section
• ConclusionView
• EndnotesView

Recommended citation

Movement Advancement Project. October 2025. New Survey Reveals Dramatic Changes for LGBTQ Adults Since November 2024.  www.mapresearch.org/2025-norc-survey-report.

Introduction

Since the November 2024 election—and especially in the months since the beginning of President Trump’s second term—anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has increased, violence has escalated, and legislation, executive orders, and other targeted actions have drastically altered the lives of LGBTQ people, especially transgender people.

To better understand the impacts of actions by the federal government, states, and local policymakers, MAP conducted a survey of LGBTQ adults in partnership with NORC. This nationally representative survey provides a critical snapshot into the experiences, concerns, and actions of LGBTQ people since the November 2024 election.

The results show that LGBTQ adults as a whole—but transgender and nonbinary adults especially—are experiencing an extraordinarily difficult and stressful political environment, leading to significant impacts on their everyday lives. The survey documents the urgent and often life-changing steps or decisions LGBTQ people have taken to protect themselves or their families since the November 2024 election. It also shows that LGBTQ people reported increasing their efforts to participate in or protect their community in the face of anti-LGBTQ politics or laws.  

Methodology

This brief describes the results of a national survey of 1,055 LGBTQ adults (ages 18+) in the United States, including 111 transgender and nonbinary adults. This online survey was conducted by NORC’s AmeriSpeak panel and ran May 29 – June 1, 2025. Funded and operated by NORC at the University of Chicago, AmeriSpeak® is a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the US household population. Randomly selected US households are sampled with a known, non-zero probability of selection from the NORC National Sample Frame, and then contacted by US mail, email, telephone, and field interviewers (face to face). AmeriSpeak panelists participate in NORC studies or studies conducted by NORC on behalf of governmental agencies, academic researchers, and media and commercial organizations.

All differences shown in this brief (e.g., differences in responses between all LGBTQ respondents and transgender and nonbinary respondents) are statistically significant unless otherwise noted.

Recent LGBTQ-Related Politics Lead to Major Life Decisions

The Majority of LGBTQ People, and Even Higher Numbers of Transgender People, Have Made Major Life Decisions Due to Recent LGBTQ-Related Politics

Since November 2024, the majority (57%) of LGBTQ people—including 84% of transgender and nonbinary people—have made significant life decisions or taken steps in response to LGBTQ-related politics or laws (Figure 1). These include considering or actually moving to a different state; considering or actually finding a different job; attempting to update legal name or gender markers on identity documents; crossing state lines to receive medical care, and much more.  
 
Across nearly every measure, transgender and nonbinary people reported taking these actions at much higher rates, sometimes even twice or three times as often (Figure 1). For example: 

• 55% of transgender respondents have taken steps to be less visible as an LGBTQ person in their community, such as at work or school, compared to 24% of all LGBTQ respondents. 
• 43% of transgender people have considered moving to a different state, compared to 25% of all LGBTQ people. 
  • And, 9% of transgender people report they’ve actually moved to a different state since November 2024, as have 5% of all LGBTQ people. 
• 36% of transgender people have considered finding a different job or place of work, compared to 18% of LGBTQ people. 
  • And, 22% of transgender people have actually changed jobs or workplaces since November 2024, as have 11% of all LGBTQ people. 

 
These are remarkably sobering findings that reflect the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty that many LGBTQ people and their families across the country are currently facing—and the very real and difficult choices about their lives that they are being forced to consider. This is especially true given the relatively short period of time considered by the survey (November 2024 to June 2025). This suggests that, as political attacks on LGBTQ people continue, these numbers may grow even higher.  

LGBTQ People Also Report Taking Actions to Participate in and Protect Their Community, Not Only Themselves or Their Families

Figure 1 shows the important and often significant steps or decisions LGBTQ people have taken to protect themselves or their families since the November 2024 election. It also shows that LGBTQ people reported taking various actions to participate in or protect their community, in response to LGBTQ politics or laws—and again, transgender and nonbinary people reported these actions at much higher rates. For example:  
 

• 21% of LGBTQ people—and 38% of transgender people—have joined or started participating in LGBTQ community or recreational opportunities where they live. 
• 20% of LGBTQ people—and 42% of transgender people—have joined or started participating in LGBTQ advocacy or activism where they live. 
• 18% of LGBTQ people—and 31% of transgender people—have taken steps to be more visible as an LGBTQ person in their community. 

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Figure 1

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Nearly 1 in 10 Transgender People Report Moving to a New State

As shown in Figure 1, nearly one in 10 (9%) transgender adults in the survey have moved to a different state due to LGBTQ-related laws or politics, as have 5% of LGBTQ adults. Again, given that the survey only covered a relatively short time frame of November 2024 to June 2025, this is a remarkable impact.  
 
This finding for transgender adults is also considerably higher than in other recent surveys. For example, a 2022 survey found that 5% of transgender adults had moved to a new state due to transgender-related laws,ⁱ and a 2023 survey similarly found that 4% of transgender young people (ages 13-24) had moved to a new state due to LGBTQ-related laws or politics.ⁱⁱ  
 
Given that anti-LGBTQ political attacks have escalated over time, both in volume and in severity,ⁱⁱⁱ and that various polls over time show growing numbers of transgender people reporting moving or considering moving due to these attacks, this suggests that these numbers may continue to grow in the future as political attacks continue. 
 
Among all LGBTQ respondents who moved or considered moving due to LGBTQ-related laws (n=255), their top factors in deciding whether or where to move were: 

• overall quality of life (94% said this factored into their decision to some or a great extent), 
• affordability and economic factors (93%), 
• a state’s LGBTQ legal protections and rights (92%), and 
• a state’s LGBTQ community and allies (91%).  

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Figure 2

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Harms to Health and Well-Being

The Majority of LGBTQ People, and Even More Transgender People, Report Recent Politics Have Harmed Their Health & Well-Being

The survey further shows that LGBTQ people, and especially transgender people, report that recent anti-LGBTQ policies and rhetoric have negatively impacted their mental health (Figure 3), and that politics in general have negatively impacted their overall well-being (Figure 4). Both figures also show that transgender people are especially likely to report more intense impacts than LGBTQ respondents overall.  

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Figure 3

Figure 4

 

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Figure 4 further shows that a large majority of both LGBTQ people in general and transgender people specifically say that politics at every level – federal, state, and local – has negatively impacted their overall well-being in 2025. This illustrates the ongoing hostility and harm caused by current politics, even when anti-LGBTQ bills do not ultimately become law. This is especially important to note given that, on average, roughly 92% of anti-LGBTQ bills do not become law, but as shown above, they can still cause clear harm.  
 
Importantly, transgender and nonbinary people are more likely (84%) than LGBTQ people in general (73%) to report that state politics specifically harmed their well-being (Figure 4), whereas rates for all LGBTQ respondents as a whole were similar for federal and local politics. This is consistent with recent years’ escalating state-level attacks on the LGBTQ community, which have especially targeted transgender people.  
 
Additionally, transgender and nonbinary people were more likely to report that every level of politics – federal, state, and local – has negatively impacted their overall well-being “a lot,” a difference in intensity of impact that may otherwise be obscured by the similar total answers. For example, while transgender and LGBTQ respondents overall report similar rates of being generally negatively impacted by federal politics this year (88% and 86%, respectively), 48% of transgender respondents say they were negatively impacted “a lot” compared to 37% of all LGBTQ respondents.   

Emotional Responses to Trump's Anti-LGBTQ Actions

Most LGBTQ People Report Feeling Disgust, Anger, Anxiety, and Fear in Response to Trump’s Anti-LGBTQ Actions Since Inauguration—And Worry for the Impacts on Their Families 

LGBTQ people expressed a range of negative emotions about Trump’s anti-LGBTQ actions since he took office again. Consistent with the pattern throughout this brief, transgender and nonbinary respondents reported these emotions and concerns at even higher rates than LGBTQ respondents as a whole—and more intense reactions as well.  
 
Figure 5 shows that six in 10 LGBTQ people (60%) say they are worried about the impacts of Trump’s anti-LGBTQ actions on them or their families. That number rises to nearly nine in 10 for transgender people (86%)—a difference driven further by the intensity of that worry, with 60% of transgender people saying they are “very worried” compared to 36% of LGBTQ people saying the same.

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Figure 5

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Figure 6 shows specific emotional reactions, with 70% or more of all LGBTQ respondents saying Trump’s anti-LGBTQ actions make them feel disgusted (80%), angry (77%), worried (76%), anxious (71%), and afraid (70%).  
 
Among transgender respondents, reported rates of all these emotions were even higher, with more than 80% of transgender respondents reporting each. The top reported emotions were also different among transgender respondents, with worry, disgust, and fear topping their list. 
 
As with previous findings in this brief, the differences between transgender respondents and LGBTQ respondents overall were also visible in the intensity of these emotional reactions. For example, not only did transgender people report higher levels of being afraid overall (87% vs. 70%), but they also reported much higher levels of being “very afraid” (62% vs. 46%), rather than “somewhat afraid” (25% vs. 24%).  

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Figure 6

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Presidential and Governmental Approval Rating

Among LGBTQ People, Trump’s Approval Ratings Are Extremely Low—As Is Approval of State Governments’ Handling of LGBTQ Issues 

Only 10% of LGBTQ people in this survey approved of how Trump is handling his job overall. Even fewer (6%) approve of how he is handling LGBTQ issues specifically.  
 
While LGBTQ respondents have a much higher approval rating for their state government’s handling of LGBTQ issues (36%) compared to Trump’s handling of them (6% approve), this is still a notably low approval. This speaks to the widespread and ongoing attacks on LGBTQ people in state legislatures across the country today.  
 

Clear Relationship Between States’ LGBTQ Policies and Approval of State Government’s Handling of LGBTQ Issues 

As shown in Figure 7, there are clear differences in approval of state governments across regions of the country. There is also a clear relationship between LGBTQ respondents’ approval of how their state government is handling LGBTQ issues and the state’s actual LGBTQ policies (Figure 7).  
 
Figure 7 breaks LGBTQ respondents out into regions of the country and compares those approval ratings to MAP’s LGBTQ Policy Scores. The pattern is clear: regions with higher LGBTQ policy scores (i.e., more inclusive and protective laws) also have higher approval of how state governments are handling LGBTQ issues.

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Figure 7

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Top Factors in the 2024 Presidential Election

LGBTQ Issues and Health Care Were Top Factors in the 2024 Election for LGBTQ People 

In the 2024 presidential election, 68% of LGBTQ respondents in this survey reported voting for Kamala Harris, 11% for Donald Trump, 4% for someone else, and 15% said they did not vote. 
 
When asked what three topics or issues had the greatest impact on their vote choice in the 2024 presidential election, responses were generally similar across both LGBTQ people overall and transgender people specifically, but with a few notable differences.  
 
For all LGBTQ people, the top three issues were LGBTQ rights (42% of respondents said this was a top three issue for their vote choice in 2024), economy/inflation (36%), and health care (35%).  
 
For transgender and nonbinary people, the top issue was also LGBTQ rights, but at a much higher rate, with 67% of transgender and nonbinary people saying this was a top three issue for their vote choice in 2024. This was followed by women’s rights (33%) and then health care (32%).  


 

Conclusion 

The survey highlights the clear and ongoing impacts of the current political environment on LGBTQ people, and especially transgender and nonbinary people, across the country.  
 
The majority of LGBTQ people—and, consistently, even higher rates of transgender and nonbinary people—reported significant and often negative impacts across the board, such as making major life decisions due to LGBTQ-related laws or politics, experiencing harassment or discrimination, harm to their mental health or overall well-being, and much more.   
 
As political attacks on LGBTQ people by federal, state, and local governments continue into the future, it is likely that these impacts will only accumulate. While the survey illustrates some of the many ways LGBTQ people are taking action to protect not only themselves but also their broader community, it is vital that people beyond LGBTQ people join in these efforts to protect their LGBTQ neighbors, friends, and family members, and to stop the ongoing attacks on LGBTQ people.  

Endnotes 

ⁱ James, S.E., Herman, J.L., Durso, L.E., & Heng-Lehtinen, R. (2024). Early Insights: A Report of the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey. National Center for Transgender Equality, Washington, DC. 
ⁱⁱ The Trevor Project & Movement Advancement Project. (2025). How State Policy Affects the Well-Being and Relocation of LGBTQ+ Young People.  
ⁱⁱⁱ See for example MAP’s 2023 Under Fire report series.