Sixty cities scored 100 on the Human
Rights Campaign's (HRC) fifth annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI),
which measures a city's support for LGBT rights.
“This year, dozens of cities across
the nation showed they are willing to stand up for LGBTQ people in
their communities even when state governments are not,” said HRC
President Chad Griffin. “This builds on a trend we have long
observed: that local governments are at the forefront of our fight
for equality. Unfortunately, our opponents have witnessed this
progress too, and in recent years, anti-LGBTQ lawmakers have pushed
spiteful legislation aimed at pre-empting local protections. That’s
why it’s so important that we continue to not only fight for
equality at the state and local levels, but to enact comprehensive
federal protections for LGBTQ people under the Equality Act.”
Cities scoring perfect marks have
increased steadily, starting with only 11 in 2012 and increasing to
47 in 2015.
Cities that scored 100 include Phoenix,
Tempe, Tucson, Cathedral City, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Palm Springs,
Rancho Mirage, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, West
Hollywood, Guerneville, Stamford, Orlando, Saint Petersburg, Wilton
Manors, Atlanta, Chicago, Bloomington, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Iowa
City, Louisville, Baltimore, Boston, Cambridge, Provincetown,
Worcester, Salem, Ann Arbor, Detroit, East Lansing, Minneapolis,
Saint Paul, Kansas City, St. Louis, Missoula, Enterprise, Paradise,
Las Vegas, Jersey City, Albany, New York, Rochester, Yonkers,
Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Portland, Philadelphia, Providence,
Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Bellevue, Olympia, Seattle and Madison.
Eight cities scored zero including
Auburn, Alabama; Homer, Sitka and Wasilla, Alaska; Monroe, Louisiana;
Southaven, Mississippi; Clemson, South Carolina; and Sheridan,
Wyoming.
The MEI rated 506 cities, including the
50 state capitals and the 200 largest cities in the United states.
(Read
the full report.)