Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws Are Pushing More Trans People to Run for Office

The past few years have seen a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ (and especially anti-trans) bills introduced in the U.S. And while such legislation carries an unimaginably negative political and cultural impact, a new survey has revealed that the anti-LGBTQ+ legislative wave is also pushing more trans people to run for office.

The Victory institute, an advocacy group that supports LGBTQ+ candidates for office, released a report last week that examines the “motivations, experiences, and challenges of LGBTQ+ candidates in the United States.” Conducted alongside the LGBTQ+ Politics Research Initiative at Loyola University, it surveyed 474 candidates from 49 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico about what it’s like to be an LGBTQ+ person running for office today.

Most candidates (79.3%) said that their top motivation to run was simply a desire to improve their local community. Yet trans people were the most likely demographic to cite anti-LGBTQ+ legislation as a top motivation, with 14.3% of trans women and 10.3% of gender-nonconforming, genderqueer, and nonbinary respondents citing the legislative wave as their top factor. Almost half of LGBTQ+ candidates also cited a desire to increase LGBTQ+ representation in office as a top motivation (45.8%).

Queer and trans people overall remain underrepresented as elected officials, but the number of LGBTQ+ people who run for and hold office has grown exponentially in recent years. 2022 saw the highest number of queer and trans candidates in history, with at least one out LGBTQ+ person running for office in every state. Since 2017, when the Victory Institute began releasing data on LGBTQ+ candidates, the number of out LGBTQ+ elected officials has almost doubled, from 448 in 2017 to 1,043 in 2022.

This explosive rise in LGBTQ+ candidates comes despite the fact that they face numerous challenges that their straight peers do not. The Victory Institute’s report found that 79.6% of respondents feared that running as an out LGBTQ+ candidate would increase the likelihood that they would experience harassment or attacks. The report also found that that fear was somewhat justified, as 71.3% of respondents experienced anti-LGBTQ+ attacks during their campaign. 55.2% of LGBTQ+ candidates reported that anti-LGBTQ+ attacks affected their mental health.

And yet, respondents also found strength in their queer and trans identities. 11.5% of respondents expressed a belief that they gained support rather than losing support after anti-LGBTQ+ attacks. Additionally, 84% of respondents stated that they believed being LGBTQ+ made them a better candidate, with 59.5% of respondents stating that they were more empathetic toward other groups because of their identity.

Considering the stakes of the 2024 election, the report provides timely insights into the state of affairs for LGBTQ+ candidates. Many Republican candidates have already made anti-LGBTQ+ talking points central to their platforms. Both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have proposed federal bans on trans healthcare for minors, as well as bans on trans women competing in sports. Nikki Haley has expressed a belief that “Don’t Say Gay” didn’t go far enough, and even went so far as to blame trans kids in locker rooms for teen suicide rates. And that’s only on the national level — countless elected officials are pushing anti-trans rhetoric on the state and local levels as well.

While things are indeed dire for LGBTQ+ candidates, it’s also more important than ever to elect people to office who will protect queer and trans people. As people like George Santos and Kyrsten Sinema show, that doesn’t necessarily mean that those candidates themselves have to identify as LGBTQ+. But going into 2024, our communities will need all the help we can get.

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