Texas Ranks Last in Nation for Equality - Families and Businesses Are Leaving

Texas now ranks dead last in LGBTQ+ equality alongside Tennessee, scoring just 58 out of 100 on the Equaldex legal index (August 2025). That puts us below states we’ve spent decades mocking and below entire countries like Canada and Australia. This isn’t just a moral failure. It’s an economic disaster in the making. Major companies use equality rankings when deciding where to expand. Talented workers, especially young professionals, look at these rankings before accepting job offers. We’re watching families pack up and leave, taking their tax dollars, their small businesses, and their kids’ future contributions with them. When 598 anti-LGBTQ+ bills get proposed in seven months, the message to the rest of the country is clear: Texas doesn’t want you if you’re different. That’s not the Texas spirit of independence and opportunity we claim to value. The long-term damage goes beyond reputation. Healthcare bans are forcing doctors to leave the state, worsening our existing physician shortage in rural areas. Universities are losing faculty and graduate students who refuse to work somewhere their families aren’t safe. Tourism conferences are relocating to other states, costing us millions in revenue. This isn’t about ideology anymore. It’s about whether Texas remains competitive or becomes a cautionary tale. Every freedom-loving Texan, whether conservative or progressive, should ask: do we want government writing laws about who gets medical care and who doesn’t? Do we want to be the state families flee instead of the state they choose? Because right now, we’re building that future one harmful bill at a time.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​