The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), in partnership with the Equality Federation, has released the newest edition of the Municipal Equality Index (MEI)—a comprehensive nationwide assessment of LGBTQ+ equality in the areas of municipal policies, laws and services.
More than 500 U.S. cities (totaling more than 92 million people) were rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality. (D.C. wasn’t evaluated because it’s a federal district.) Of those, 130 received perfect scores of 100 while six scored zero. The report added, “What is even more remarkable is that in 20 states across the country, 76 cities earned over 85 points despite hailing from a state without a nondiscrimination statute that explicitly protects LGBTQ+ people.”
Nine Illinois cities were evaluated: Aurora (which scored 100), Carbondale (68), Champaign (100), Chicago (100), Joliet (70), Naperville (98), Peoria (70), Rockford (100) and Springfield (100).
In addition to the 100 standard points for city laws and services, the MEI allows cities to earn up to 22 flex points. Flex points are awarded for essential programs, protections or benefits that may not be easily attainable for some cities. So, for example, Champaign scored a 92 but had 15 flex points (for items such as a youth bullying prevention policy for city services), allowing it to reach 100—the highest possible score. Chicago scored a 98 but had 11 flex points.
However, the MEI is more than numbers. There are articles such as “Inclusivity Drives Economic Growth,” profiles of city success stories (such as Philadelphia; Kalamazoo, Michigan; and Roanoke, Virginia), issue briefs (such as “The U.S. Conference of Mayors has Long Championed LGBTQ+ Rights”) and more.
The post Illinois cities score high on HRC Municipal Equality Index appeared first on Windy City Times.