Currently , California , Connecticut , the District of Columbia , Hawaii , Illinois , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , Minnesota , Nevada , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New Mexico , New York , Rhode Island , Vermont , Washington and Wisconsin have state laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and\/or gender identity . Currently , 12 states and the District of Columbia have policies that protect against both sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in employment : California , Colorado , Illinois , Iowa , Maine , Minnesota , New Jersey , New Mexico , Oregon , Rhode Island , Vermont , and Washington in the public and private sector . An additional nine states -- Connecticut , Delaware , Hawaii , Maryland , Massachusetts , Nevada , New Hampshire , New York , and Wisconsin -- have state laws that protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation only .