Social acceptance correlates strongly with legal protections for LGBTI individuals, according to a new report from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

Researchers analyzed a variety of factors to categorize countries by their stages of LGBTI protection, a process detailed in the report. These factors included whether nondiscrimination laws were in place in fields, including healthcare and housing, and the existence of policies such as allowing same sex partners to adopt or the legal recognition of gender changes.

“This report provides a first-of-its-kind statistical approach to understand the various pathways through which countries become more or less inclusive of LGBTI people,” the report said.

Ari Shaw, an author of the paper and a senior fellow at the Williams Institute, said researchers looked at the way public feeling correlates with changing laws across countries.

“We continue to see a strong relationship between social acceptance and legal inclusion, and particularly over time,” Shaw said. “There may be a baseline level of public support for LGBTI rights that is required in order to see sort of real, meaningful changes and progress on legal protections.”

Shaw added that the report, which builds on a 2018 version of the research, expands on a previously used data set. Researchers updated both their global and legal environment index for the new study, he said.

“For the first time, we were able to use novel statistical methods to better understand the various pathways that countries have followed as the legal and policy landscape around LGBTI rights develops over time,” Shaw said.

The report found that protections surrounding sexual orientation often develop differently than protections relating to gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics – or GIESC. Sexual orientation protections typically start with decriminalization, followed by protections against discrimination in the workplace or more generally, according to the report. GIESC protections, on the other hand, usually begin with the state allowing citizens to change genders and instating protections in healthcare.

Miguel Fuentes, a policy fellow at the Williams Institute and another author of the paper, said an additional important finding was that there is not just a single linear route to the establishment of LGBTI protections.

“Looking at those different stages across the data, we found different pathways that LGBTI rights could take,” Fuentes said.

Fuentes added that there is a general trend toward improving conditions, demonstrated by globally increasing scores on the legal environment index, which measures legal protections for LGBTI individuals.

“If you compare the LEI scores from the 1990s up to 2023, which is the latest year we have data from, you actually see countries moving towards having higher scores,” he said. “That’s encouraging.”

The Williams Institute focuses exclusively on LGBTQ+ issues in the legal space. Shaw said an important part of his and his colleagues’ work is promoting a scientific understanding of LGBTQ+ issues in order to better inform lawmaking.

In a written statement, Rachel Dowd, director of communications for the Williams Institute, said anti-LGBTI sentiments can result in negative outcomes for a country as a whole, so it is imperative to have strong research to create effective policy.

“Understanding a country’s legal landscape regarding LGBTI protections is crucial for developing effective strategies that promote inclusive development,” the statement said. “LGBTI stigma can result in discriminatory practices and laws, leading to violence, poor health outcomes, weaker governance institutions, and lower economic productivity.”

Fuentes added that data-driven LGBTQ+ research can also help individuals who are struggling personally.

“Having something to look at that shows that, in general, things are getting better, gives us a little bit of hope,” he said. “Tangible data is definitely useful for the regular person that just wants to know that we’re not alone.”