In an email sent today from Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley she shared that she’s “proud and excited to announce that Dayton has received a top score of 100 on the 2016 Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index! Dayton is one of just 3 cities in Ohio and 60 nationwide to earn a perfect score. Dayton is also just one of 37 cities to be named an All-Star City, representing a high score in a state lacking supportive state-level laws.”
The Municipal Equality Index is based upon a set of 44 criteria that fall into five broad categories: non-discrimination laws, municipal employment policies, inclusiveness of city services, law enforcement and municipal leadership.
I am so proud of what this award represents. Dayton is truly moving forward as an open, progressive and welcoming place.”
“Despite another year of legislative attacks on LGBTQ equality, we are not merely holding our ground; we also continue to make significant gains across the country,” said Rebecca Isaacs, Executive Director of the Eq
uality Federation Institute. “The opportunity for further progress is huge, and we are proud to partner with HRC on the Municipal Equality Index, a powerful roadmap for elected officials and community advocates who want to continue down the path to full equality.”
Since the MEI’s debut in 2012, the number of cities earning perfect scores has more than quintupled, and today at least 24 million people now live in cities that have more comprehensive, transgender-inclusive non-discrimination laws than their state. And cities that have been rated all five years of the MEI have improved their scores by about 20 points over that time.
Progress on transgender equality has been particularly noteworthy in cities across America this year, continuing a positive trend that the MEI has tracked — and encouraged — since 2012. Transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits are offered to employees of 86 municipalities this year — up from 66 in 2015 and 5 in 2012 — and the growth of cities offering those benefits to their employees outpaces the growth in the number of cities rated. The MEI’s Issue Brief on Transgender-Inclusive Health Benefits is available here.
You can see the complete Dayton report card here.
