Even When They Don’t Pass, Anti-LGBT Bills Are Costing States Millions
From canceled concerts to corporate consequences, economic backlash over North Carolina’s anti-LGBT House Bill 2 has been widely publicized.Â
However, a new study out of Oklahoma suggests that even when anti-LGBT legislation doesn’t pass, its mere consideration can have significant negative economic impacts for states.
The study, commissioned by the Tulsa Regional Chamber, found that anti-transgender legislation contributed to nearly $51 million worth of bad publicity for Oklahoma during this year’s legislative session.Â
The Oklahoma Legislature made national headlines for its consideration of a bill that, like HB2, would have barred trans students  from using restrooms based on their gender identity in public schools. Although the Oklahoma bill died in a House committee, the chamber’s senior vice president for education and workforce, Brian Paschal, said that makes almost no difference in terms of public perception.Â
“Lawmakers think, ‘It didn’t go anywhere, so we’re fine,’ †Paschal told The Tulsa World. “We have (chamber) members who need skilled workers. There has to be some recognition of the … perception of the state outside of Oklahoma.â€
“For Oklahoma to be successful, we have to have a skilled workforce,†he added. “Being an attractive place to live is a piece of that success.â€
(It’s worth noting that although the anti-trans bill died, the Oklahoma Legislature passed a symbolic resolution calling for the impeachment of President Barack Obama over his directive requiring public school to allow trans students to use the restrooms of their choice.)
The chamber’s study is based on what is known as advertising value equivalency, which has long been used to measure the impact of positive media coverage. The study found that national stories about the anti-trans bill — along with unflattering coverage related to two other issues, education funding and the state budget — resulted in the equivalent of $50.9 million in negative advertising value for Oklahoma.Â
“This is important because we’ve never been able to measure these impacts before,†Nick Doctor, the chamber’s senior vice president of government affairs, told the newspaper.Â
On Friday, during the chamber’s annual recap of the session, Chairman Jeff Dunn blamed the problem on “nut jobs on the periphery†— right-wing lawmakers who wield too much influence over the legislative process.Â
“We value our relationship with legislators,†Dunn said. “(But) I would submit we need some counseling.â€
“When we go off on tangents, we look like North Carolina,†he added. “And when we look like North Carolina, it’s bad for business.â€
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 Image: The New Civil Rights Movement
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