​New Louisiana law allows deadnaming trans people — and more disrespect — in the workplace

Louisiana workers will soon be shielded from discipline if they refuse to use a transgender or nonbinary coworker’s name or pronouns, under a new law signed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry that LGBTQ+ advocates warn will invite workplace discrimination under the banner of free speech.

On May 30, Gov. Jeff Landry signed Act 579 into law, as reported by local NBC affiliate KTAL News. The new law, which proponents are lauding for protecting the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, is scheduled to take effect on August 1.

Act 579, passed during the state’s 2026 legislative session, prohibits employers from disciplining workers who refuse to identify their own pronouns, address other employees by names other than those they were given at birth, or use pronouns that do not align with a person’s gender identity but are consistent with their sex assigned at birth.

Related: Louisiana families sue to overturn gender-affirming care ban

Supporters have described the measure as a protection for First Amendment speech rights. LGBTQ+ advocates, however, argue that it amounts to a state-sanctioned license to discriminate against transgender and nonbinary workers under the guise of protecting free speech.

Democratic state Rep. Joy Walters is among those who have raised concerns about the law’s potential impact on LGBTQ+ workers’ employment and mental health, telling KTAL that some people are asking themselves, “Man, do I need to find a new employer?”

“They’re scared that this is all seemingly happening during Pride month, something that they have activities to support the awareness of and whatnot, and to experience this level of hatred and whatnot again, it is scary to be one-dimensional and not accepting of other people,” Walters told KTAL.

Walters also questioned Landry’s use of religious arguments to support the legislation, noting that the governor has previously backed laws rooted in Christian beliefs.

“Not everyone is a Christian, but also not every Christian has the same set of beliefs within the religion itself,” Walters said.