Targeted state religious exemption laws permit people, churches, non-profit organizations, and sometimes corporations to seek exemptions from providing services that burden their religious beliefs.
- State permits state-licensed child welfare agencies to refuse to place and provide services to children and families, including LGBTQ people and same-sex couples, if doing so conflicts with their religious beliefs (14 states)
- State has targeted religious exemption that permits private businesses to deny services to married same-sex couples (2 states)
- State has targeted religious exemption that permits medical professionals to decline to serve LGBTQ clients (10 states)
- State has no religious exemption law related to provision of services (31 states , 5 territories + D.C.)
*Alabama, Michigan, and Utah permit discrimination only by child service agencies that do not receive government funding. State-licensed agencies can discriminate, but only if they do not receive state funding.
Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Religious Exemption Laws." https://www.mapresearch.org/equality-maps/religious_exemption_laws. Accessed (date of access).
Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Religious Exemption Laws." https://www.mapresearch.org/equality-maps/religious_exemption_laws. Accessed (date of access).
Percent of Adult LGBTQ Population Covered by Laws
*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.
Targeted state religious exemption laws permit state and local officials to decline to marry couples of whose marriage they disapprove.
- State has targeted religious exemption law that permits state and local officials to decline to marry couples of whose marriage they disapprove (3 states)
- State has no religious exemption law related to issuing marriage licenses (47 states , 5 territories + D.C.)
Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Religious Exemption Laws." https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/religious_exemption_laws (date of access).
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Religious Exemption Laws." https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/religious_exemption_laws (date of access).
Percent of Adult LGBTQ Population Covered by Laws
*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.
State religious exemption laws permit people, churches, non-profit organizations, and sometimes corporations to seek exemptions from state laws that burden their religious beliefs.
- State has constitutional religious exemption law (1 state)
- State has statutory religious exemption law (25 states)
- State has no broad religious exemption law (24 states , 5 territories + D.C.)
Some states have case law that has interpreted the state constitution to require some level of scrutiny of laws that may impact the exercise of religion. This map does not include those states.
Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Religious Exemption Laws." https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/religious_exemption_laws (date of access).
Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Religious Exemption Laws." https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/religious_exemption_laws (date of access).
Percent of Adult LGBTQ Population Covered by Laws
*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.
Key
- State does not have this law State has religious exemption law
| State | Broad Religious Exemption | Targeted Adoption/Child Services Denial | Targeted Marriage Services Denial | Targeted Medical Professionals Denial | Targeted Marriage License Denial |
| Citations | Citations | Citations | Citations | Citations | |
| Alabama | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | ||
| Alaska | |||||
| American Samoa | |||||
| Arizona | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |||
| Arkansas | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |||
| California | |||||
| Colorado | |||||
| Connecticut | State does not have this law | ||||
| Delaware | |||||
| District of Columbia | |||||
| Florida | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |||
| Georgia | |||||
| Guam | |||||
| Hawaii | |||||
| Idaho | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | ||
| Illinois | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |||
| Indiana | State does not have this law | ||||
| Iowa | State does not have this law | ||||
| Kansas | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | ||
| Kentucky | State does not have this law | ||||
| Louisiana | State does not have this law | ||||
| Maine | |||||
| Maryland | |||||
| Massachusetts | |||||
| Michigan | State does not have this law | ||||
| Minnesota | |||||
| Mississippi | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | State does not have this law |
| Missouri | State does not have this law | ||||
| Montana | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |||
| Nebraska | |||||
| Nevada | |||||
| New Hampshire | |||||
| New Jersey | |||||
| New Mexico | State does not have this law | ||||
| New York | |||||
| North Carolina | State does not have this law | ||||
| North Dakota | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |||
| Northern Mariana Islands | |||||
| Ohio | State does not have this law | ||||
| Oklahoma | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |||
| Oregon | |||||
| Pennsylvania | State does not have this law | ||||
| Puerto Rico | |||||
| Rhode Island | State does not have this law | ||||
| South Carolina | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | ||
| South Dakota | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |||
| Tennessee | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |
| Texas | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |||
| U.S. Virgin Islands | |||||
| Utah | State does not have this law | ||||
| Vermont | |||||
| Virginia | State does not have this law | State does not have this law | |||
| Washington | |||||
| West Virginia | State does not have this law | ||||
| Wisconsin | |||||
| Wyoming |
Data current as of 11/06/2024
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