A new study released last week by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) ranking cities across the United States which implement LGBTQ inclusive polices and services, gave perfect score of 100 to seven Florida cities, with Miami ranking number 2 on the list, only behind Tampa.
This is the thirteenth HRC’s Municipal Equality Index and the 2024 report shows the largest number of cities – 130 or 25% of the cities studied – which posted the highest possible marks on the index. The municipalities included have a combined population of approximately 49 million people.
The other five cities in Florida joining Miami and Tampa with prefer scores were St Petersburg, Orlando, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors.
In a statement, Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation said, “For LGBTQ+ people, building community isn’t just a phrase, it’s a way of life. In many important ways, local politics shapes our lives just as much as state or national politics does. Mayors and city councilors who take LGBTQ+ inclusion seriously build stronger communities, and in turn their cities thrive.”
The annual HRC Municipal Equality Index scores the 50 state capitals, the 200 largest cities in the United States, the five largest cities or municipalities in each state, the cities home to the state’s two largest public universities, 75 cities and municipalities that have high proportions of same-sex couples, and 98 cities selected by HRC and Equality Federation state groups, members, and supporters.
The HRC survey is the only comprehensive nationwide assessment of LGBTQ+ equality in the areas of municipal policies, laws and services.
