As a follow up to the recent news regarding Florida State Bill 1580, ACA has developed and compiled additional resources to support counselors who may be facing practice-related challenges to serving clients who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. These include:

• NEW, user-friendly resources that will guide members on how to effectively engage with their state’s attorney general and legislators on issues of interest.
• Templates to help you schedule meetings and email your legislators your concerns.
• Two new Voice of Counseling podcast episodes that discuss advocacy, transgender equality and allyship; and anti-transgender legislation, laws and legal cases and the counselor’s role in supporting transgender clients.
• A collection of ACA statements which reinforce ACA’s stance on policy that does not support the ACA Code of Ethics.

We continue to monitor the more than 1,000 pieces of LGBTQ+ related legislation introduced or pending in 2023 state legislative sessions. A synopsis of those bills is below:

• Positive - 200+ bills
• Negative - 520+ bills (in 41 states)
• Watching - 200+ bills
• 220+ are specifically anti-transgender, including:
• • 125+ gender-affirming care bans
  • 45+ sports bans
  • 30+ “bathroom” bills
• 100+ curriculum censorship bills
• 35+ religious refusals
• 45+ anti-drag performance bills
• Harmful anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed = 48
• Harmful anti-LGBTQ+ bills at or approaching the governor’s desk = 22
• Pro-LGBTQ+ bills passed = 8
• More than 140 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have passed the first chamber of the legislature.

For more information or if you would like to become involved in ACA’s advocacy efforts, please contact the Government Affairs and Public Policy team at advocacy@counseling.org.