ALABAMA (WHNT) — Alabama is one of the toughest states to live in for LGBTQ+ people and their families, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

In the new report, Alabama was labeled a “high priority to achieve basic equality.”

Other states included in the lowest category were Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

In the yearly, “State Equality Index,” HRC reviews the number of “statewide laws and policies that affect LGBTQ+ and their families.”

Each state is then divided into a category, the aforementioned “high priority to achieve basic equality,” as well as “building equality,” “solidifying equality,” and “working toward innovative equality.”

To see your state’s scorecard and ranking, visit hrc.org.

Breaking down the report, HRC noted Alabama engaged in what they call “anti-equality laws,” including those that allow discrimination in adoption or foster placement based on sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS criminalization laws, and laws that restrict transgender students in sports.

Last year, the Alabama legislature passed a series of laws aimed at LGBTQ+ issues.

The first focused on criminalizing gender-affirming medications for transgender minors, though the law was later blocked by a district court. If it went into effect, the law would punish parents and doctors who provide those services with a $15,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison.

As of December 30, the law remained blocked. A ruling on this case is expected by March 2023.

News 19 reached out to the Governor’s Office for a comment on the report, but we did not receive a response.