Ohio nearly topped the list of ‘anti-LGBTQ incidents’ in 2025.
That’s according to GLAAD, a nonprofit that advocates for inclusive representation and LGBTQ acceptance. It’s been tracking expressions of hate toward the LGBTQ community – from assaults to vandalism to threats of violence – for the past four years.
“We have unfortunately seen, since 2022, that there's been a really big uptick in incidents overall,” said Sarah Moore, the lead researcher for GLAAD’s Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker.
Last year, the tracker documented more than 1,000 acts of hate – a 5% increase from the year before.
Of those incidents, 50 were in Ohio.
“Ohio ranked fourth highest in terms of statewide incident totals,” Moore said. “So, what that means is that they are amongst the top five in terms of states that had the highest number of reported incidents.”
Anti-LGBTQ incidents in Ohio
GLAAD tracks a wider range of incidents against the LGBTQ community than most state reports on hate crimes.
“And that's because we're trying to track different kinds of expressions of hate and extremism – things that might not be included in these hate crime reports, [like] harassment on the street or protests against LGBTQ events,” Moore said.
In Ohio, 18 of the 50 incidents tracked were so-called ‘propaganda drops’ by white supremacist organizations.
“What that means is that there are organizations like Patriot Front and White Lives Matter – groups that have an intense history of violence and harassment against LGBTQ populations – that are actually going out and spreading this hateful rhetoric in terms of flyers, in terms of pamphlets being distributed on lawns, in terms of sending letters to various homes,” Moore said.
GLAAD also tracked five incidents of vandalism or property damage, three incidents of arson and several threats of violence in Ohio last year.
Nationwide, there was a big uptick in anti-LBGTQ incents during Pride month. In 2025, GLAAD tracked 268 incidents in June, a nearly 400% increase since June 2022, when GLAAD first started collecting data.
Why are anti-LGBTQ incidents on the rise?
Moore says the rise in anti-LGBTQ incidents corresponds with political debates and anti-LGBTQ legislation on both the state and national levels.
“I think when we allow the rhetoric from politicians at the federal, state and local levels to continue to question the right of LGBTQ people to exist, we are opening the door for extremists to use that rhetoric as justification for harm against vulnerable communities,” Moore said.
She noted many of the states topping the list in anti-LGBTQ incidents, like Washington and California, have historically supported LGBTQ rights.
“But right now, with what we're seeing in terms of the rollback of LGBTQ rights and especially in trans rights, states that had those protections historically enshrined are actually at the forefront of the number of incidents because there are other organizations that have national or local chapters that are working within the state to push back on those rights,” she said.
She worries anti-LGBTQ incidents will hold steady, or continue to trend up, in 2026.
