Once again, the Human Rights Campaign has designated Cleveland as one of the top cities in the country for LGBTQ rights, scoring it a full 100 out of 100 on this year’s newly-released Municipal Equality Index.
Just as it did last year, the report rated more than 500 U.S. cities based on the following sections: non-discrimination protections for all; policies for city employees; inclusive city services; proper law enforcement; and how serious local leadership takes LGBTQ equality.
The one area where Cleveland struggled was on transgender healthcare benefits, scoring a zero out of 6. This meant the city’s original score was actually 94. However, the city made up for this by scoring bonus points for having openly LGBTQ leaders and also offering benefits to city employees’ domestic partners.
Other major Ohio cities also received a perfect score overall, including Cincinnati, Akron and Columbus. Across the country, a record 88 cities earned the 100 designation.
“These inclusive and welcoming cities are standing up to the unrelenting attacks on the LGBTQ community by the Trump-Pence administration,” HRC President Alphonso David said in a statement. “And sending a clear message that the fair and equal treatment of our community, our families and our neighbors is a true American value.”
Read the full report right here.
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This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2019.