WPB earns better than perfect score on LGBTQ rights

Extra Credit: West Palm Beach earned 106 points on a scale of 100

On a scale of one to one hundred, earning a score of 106 is pretty hard to beat. That’s the rating given to the City of West Palm Beach by the National Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Equality Federation for the city’s role in supporting LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) equality.

The rating is part of the 2016 Municipal Equality Index. The Municipal Equality Index (MEI), examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of the LGBTQ people who live and work there. Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and the city leadership's public position on equality. The 2016 MEI is the fifth annual edition and rates a total of 506 cities from every state in the nation.

Only six cities in the southeast portion of the United States earned a similar score. See the City of West Palm Beach MEI report card following this news release.

Under the leadership of Mayor Jeri Muoio, West Palm Beach has continued a tradition of leading the way in LGBTQ equality in a state that, according to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, is “without LGBTQ-inclusive statewide non-discrimination laws.” West Palm Beach’s score is based on exemplary, best-practice policies such as local non-discrimination laws, providing transgender-inclusive health benefits for city employees, and offering LGBTQ-inclusive city services.

“This has always been and will continue to be a top priority for me. It’s why I have actively pushed for equality laws in our city. It’s why I have periodically ordered travel bans on city-funded trips to states that don’t support the rights of the LBGTQ community. Ensuring equality is not a government issue. It is a human rights issue. I am proud of our city’s record and I look forward to the day when the Florida state legislature follows our lead,” said West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio.

“For a quarter century West Palm Beach has led the way on LGBTQ issues. The MEI score is a reflection of a deep, long-standing commitment to equality in a city that has traditionally led the way and not waited for the state or federal governments to catch up,” said Rand Hoch, President and Founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.

The City of West Palm Beach earned perfect scores in all five categories measured by the MEI, including non-discrimination laws, municipality as employer, municipal services, law enforcement, and relationship with the LGBTQ community. In addition, the city earned six bonus points for providing services to people living with HIV/AIDS, for an enforcement mechanism in the Human Rights Commission, and for having a municipality that is a welcoming place for the LGBTQ community to work.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE WPB LGBTQ REPORT CARD