The results of a recent survey from the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) indicate that more than half of LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. have taken steps to significantly alter their lives since the November 2024 presidential election.

57 percent of the LGBTQ+ adults surveyed said they have made “significant life decisions” or taken steps to alter their lives since November 2024 in response to the current political climate.

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Life changes in response to LGBTQ+-related politics or laws include moving to another state, changing jobs, becoming less visible in their community, and, conversely, becoming more visible and involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy, according to the nonprofit, which teamed with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago to survey 1,055 LGBTQ+ adults between May 29 and June 13.

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Well over half of those surveyed — 60 percent, including 82 percent of trans and nonbinary respondents — said they or an immediate family member have had at least one negative experience related to being LGBTQ+ since last November. These included instances of discrimination and harassment, both online and in person, and both by the federal government and private businesses.  

A quarter said they have considered moving to a different state, though only 5 percent said they actually had moved out of state since last November. 18 percent said they have considered changing jobs, while 11 percent said they have.

Perhaps most troublingly, 24 percent said they have taken steps to be less visible as an out LGBTQ+ person in their community.

The survey sample included 111 transgender and nonbinary adults, and MAP notes that trans and nonbinary respondents reported taking actions to change their lives and behaviors at significantly higher rates than cisgender respondents.

43 percent of trans and nonbinary respondents said they have considered moving to a different state, while 9 percent said they have actually done so. 36 percent said they’ve considered changing jobs, while 22 percent said they’d done so. And more than half (55 percent) of trans respondents said they’ve taken steps to be less visible as members of the LGBTQ+ community.

As MAP executive director Naomi Goldberg told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the loss of visibility could have a major impact not just on individual trans people, but also on public perception of the community.

“When 55% of trans people are saying they’re less visible, there’s a loss around the community around them [seeing] trans people and not the dangerous rhetoric about trans people,” Goldberg explained.

At the same time, some respondents said the current political climate has prompted them to become more involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy, with 20 percent reporting they had started participating in LGBTQ+ activism in their community and 18 percent saying they have taken steps to be more visible as LGBTQ+ community members since November.  

MAP called the survey’s findings “remarkably sobering” and an indication of the “fear, anxiety, and uncertainty that many LGBTQ people and their families across the country are currently facing.” The nonprofit also noted that the relatively short period of time in which the survey took place suggests that the numbers will grow as political attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and protections continue.

The results of MAP’s nationally representative survey echo those of local surveys and anecdotal reports.

Last week, the Dallas Morning News reported that 77 of the 90 transgender Texans it surveyed said they have already picked another state to flee to, while 57 said they have already started saving money in case they need to move out of state.

Meanwhile, Abigail Swetz, executive director of Fair Wisconsin, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that since November, the LGBTQ+ advocacy group has seen a deluge of emails from LGBTQ+ people and their family members seeking advice on how to navigate the new reality under the new administration.

“I’m thankful the data exists,” Swetz told the paper, regarding the MAP survey, “but it’s just so stark. I’ve known this has been happening, but when you see it at scale, it adds a different weight.”

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