The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), an American LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, declared a national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people yesterday, citing an increasing danger to queer people nationwide. This unprecedented decision for the HRC — its first declaration of emergency in its forty-year history — was a response to the historic number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed this year across the country.

“The multiplying threats facing millions in our community are not just perceived — they are real, tangible and dangerous,” HRC president Kelley Robinson said. “In many cases, they are resulting in violence against LGBTQ+ people, forcing families to uproot their lives and flee their homes in search of safer states and triggering a tidal wave of increased homophobia and transphobia that puts the safety of each and every one of us at risk.”

California and many other states have already passed non-discrimination laws and strengthened its LGBTQ+ rights laws, but the majority of states have not followed suit. In their 2023 report, the HRC finds that state legislatures have introduced over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills, including bans on gender-affirming care (which can include hormone therapies, puberty blockers and surgery), sports-related and bathroom-related bans for transgender people, curriculum censorship and more. This legislation has a negative impact on queer people nationwide — for example, the Trevor Project (an advocacy organization focused on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth) found that recent debates around anti-trans bills have negatively impacted the mental health of 86% of transgender and nonbinary youth.

Along with the warning, HRC also released a guide on how members of the LGBTQ+ community can access health and safety resources. The guide includes summaries of state-by-state laws, know-your-rights information and healthcare access.