In less than five months, 2021 has become the “worst year” in recent history for LGBT+ rights in the United States, with dozens of gay and transgender rights-related bills passed by state legislatures, a leading advocacy group said on Tuesday. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) said that 18 “anti-LGBTQ” state bills were signed into law this year – beating 2015 when 15 such bills were enacted – in what it described as an “unprecedented war” on the LGBT+ community. Seven of the laws restrict trans children from competing in sports, while others ban medical care for trans youth and allow parents to opt their children out of LGBT+-related subjects in school.