Cities scored on LGBT policies; 11 get perfect marks

A new Municipal Equality Index scores cities – 137 of them – on their LGBT policies. The inaugural index, released by the Human Rights Campaign, Equality Federation Institute and Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute, shows 11 cities with perfect scores – “these cities came from both coasts and in between, were of varying sizes, and not all are in states with favorable laws for LGBT people,” a news release stated.

The 11 cities are:

• Long Beach, Calif.

• Los Angeles.

• San Diego.

• San Francisco.

• Boston.

• Cambridge, Mass.

• St. Louis.

• New York City.

• Portland, Ore.

• Philadelphia.

• Seattle.

The groups used 47 criteria under six categories – non-discrimination laws, relationship recognition, the municipality’s employment practices, and the inclusiveness of city services, law enforcement and municipal leadership – to rate the cities.

The researchers looked at municipalities in every state, all 50 state capitals, the 50 most populous cities in the country, and 25 large, 25 mid-size, and 25 small municipalities with high proportions of same-sex couples.

The index included scores for two Wisconsin cities – Madison, which received a 95, and Milwaukee, which received an 85.

On the Web…

http://hrc.org/municipal-equality-index#.ULTm96WH2R8