The most active impact resulting from banning LGBTQ books has been on gender-affirming treatment of children. Most actions have been local and restricted to specific issues. Anti-LGBTQ legislation has not been as active. One area that has remained relatively static is that of banning books. In most cases, this is done at the local school district’s board or library boards. Of the 87 districts with specific bans, 70 experienced local push-back.

Only three states’ actions resulted 80% of all documented book removals: Florida 2,304; Texas 1,781; Tennessee 1,622. A few other states were involved to a lesser extent. The rise of State-Mandated “No-Read” lists is a move toward statewide censorship. The titles were not limited to LGBTQ books, and Stephen King was the author banned the most often.

The decline and rolling back of LGBTQ rights during the Trump Administration has been a major area of focus for civil rights and advocacy groups. The administration has taken a number of actions, particularly targeting the rights and visibility of transgender and non-binary people. +

Many of these actions have been challenged in court by civil rights organizations. The overall impact, according to LGBTQ advocates, has been an increase in discriminatory policies, a reduction in federal protections, and a rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and sentiment in public life. +

The one positive outcome was the recent action of the U.S. Supreme Court to refuse to hear an appeal to reject the ruling on same-sex marriage. The response was a simple “No,” without any opinion or further discussion. Perhaps they felt the shift in public opinion since the ruling, now that the majority of the public favor same-sex marriage.

LGBTQ+ Communities in NC Refuse to Go Back into the Closet

Although most Pride Parades and Festivals occur during the summer, a few still are on the calendar. Several of the smaller communities in the Triangle had events in addition to Raleigh. September events are lined up in Greensboro, Durham, Statesville, and Asheville. Wake Forest and Union County are on the calendar for October.

In 2025, a lot of media attention was focused on some of the pending legislation in the NC General Assembly restricting transgender rights and access as well as school curriculum. Teachers are still getting in trouble if they even mention gender identity, but PTA’s have moved on to other issues.