What does the MEI mean for DEI?

The Municipal Equality Index is the nation’s premier benchmarking tool for municipal officials, policy makers and business leaders to understand how well cities across the nation are embodying LGBTQ+ inclusion in their laws, policies, and services. This is the 10th annual report created by two LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, the Human Rights Campaign and the Equality Federation. The report evaluates 506 municipalities — including the country’s 50 state capitals and its 200 largest cities — on how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people are included in their local laws, policies and services. 

Each city gets its own scorecard. Cities are rated on a scale of 0-100, based on the city’s laws, policies, benefits, and services. There are 100 standard points and 22 flex points (flex points are awarded for items which apply to some but not all cities). All public scores are capped at 100 points. In order to raise their score, a city or municipality has to have implemented or improved on any of the 49 different criteria which include things like nondiscrimination protections, pro-LGBTQ policies or benefits for municipal employees and city leaders. 

For 2021 the report shares some very positive results overall. In fact, 2021 was another record-setting year for MEI cities. This MEI celebrated that there were: 

• 110 100-point cities, up from 94 last year.

• More cities offering inclusive health care benefits to city employees than last year - a total of 181 - despite the standards for credit tightening this year.

• 74 “All-Star” Cities—cities that scored above 85 points despite being in states with no state-level explicit statutory non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people—compared to 61 last year.

• 43 municipalities have anti-conversion therapy ordinances in states with no state-level protections, up from 38 last year.

At the same time, the report points out that this is not a ranking of a city’s atmosphere or quality of life. It is an evaluation of the city’s law and policies, and an examination of how inclusive city services are of LGBTQ+ people. Some high-scoring cities may not feel truly welcoming for all LGBTQ+ people, and some low-scoring cities may feel more welcoming than their policies might reflect.

Weirdly (or sadly...or both) this progress where city officials across the country have continued to advance LGBTQ rights have done so as the wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation makes its way through state legislatures. On the positive side, the report celebrates that there were more perfect scores, the highest average city score, growth in every region of the country and it showed that regardless of what’s happening in state legislatures, local leaders understand the ongoing need to ensure that the people in their communities are safe, seen, and served. See the full report for more success stories.

This report can be reviewed and considered by mobility professionals to stay aware of the locations their company is sending talent to and for generating ideas on areas that can still be focused on when seeking progress and support for individuals within the LGBTQI+ community. June is Pride Month and here is "A Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, And Intersex Pride Month, 2022" just published by the White House. We are looking forward to the next report which would be due out in November 2022.