Anti-LGBTQ+ state laws could make it harder to hire new talent

A new study from the University of Houston found that states that pass anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion laws could make it harder for businesses to hire new people, effectively handicapping their economies.

The study is based on a survey of over 1000 people that took place after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision last year. The survey asked participants if they would be willing to move to a state that restricted abortion, limited access to gender-affirming care, banned trans people from participating in school sports, banned teaching about LGBTQ+ people in schools, restricted marriage equality, or didn’t have job discrimination protections based on sexual orientation.

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They found that most people “regardless of their political orientation, indicated they would be less willing to move to states with these policies or that the policies wouldn’t affect their decision to do so,” lead author and sociology professor Amanda Baumle said in a press release. “These policies are much more of a deterrent to migration than an incentive.”

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Women, gay men, lesbians, and people with LGBTQ+ family members were more likely to say they would avoid such states, and the workers who said they would avoid states with those policies tended to have higher-earning jobs.

“Migration attitudes provide an important benchmark for understanding how abortion and LGBT laws and policies influence opinions about the desirability of states as potential destinations,” Baumle said. “If the policies are deterring people from moving to a certain state, there could be negative economic and workforce impacts.”

Of the laws asked about in the study, people were most likely to say they would avoid states with restrictive abortion policies and least likely to say that they would avoid states with anti-trans or “don’t say gay” laws. Bans on trans kids participating in school sports were the least likely to serve as a deterrent to newcomers.

Pediatrician Jake Kleinmahon made headlines earlier this year when he said he and his family were leaving the state of Louisiana after the state passed anti-LGBTQ+ laws, including a ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors.

“Over the last year, Tom and I have watched state legislatures across the south pass anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Louisiana’s last legislative session was no different,” Kleinmahon posted to Instagram in August. “The message is very clear. Tom and I have discussed at length the benefits of continuing to live in the South, as well as the toll it takes on our family. Because of this, we are leaving Louisiana. Our children come first. We cannot continue to raise them in this environment.”