Cathedral City Heralded for Embracing LGBTQ

Cathedral City has received perfect score from Human Rights Campaign’s 2022 Municipal Equality Index for embracing LGBTQ community

CATHEDRAL CITY — For at least the third time, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), an educational arm of the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, has given this community a perfect score of 100 for the manner in which it embraces the LGBTQ community.

This gay-friendly community also earned a perfect score in 2018 and 2020.

The city of Palm Springs was also awarded a final score of 100 points in the 2022 Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index Scorecard.

This is the highest recognition by HRC and comes after a thorough review of Cathedral City policies and practices including having both a police department liaison as well as a city executive officer liaison for the LGBTQ+ community.

The MEI scorecard examined the laws, policies, and services of municipalities and rated them on the basis of their inclusivity of LGBTQ+ people who live and work there. HRC’s Scorecard rated 506 municipalities throughout the United States with at least one municipality in each of the 50 states.

“Receiving another perfect score from HRC’s Municipal Equality Index is validation of Cathedral City’s continued commitment to equity and equality,” City Manager Charlie McClendon said in a statement. “I’m deeply proud that throughout our history, Cathedral City has been a safe and welcoming community for LGBTQ+ residents to live, work, and enjoy special events celebrating our rich diversity.”

The City Council of Cathedral City continues to be supportive of the LGBT community by hosting Cathedral City LGBT Days each year in March as one of the City’s signature events. Cathedral City was also the first city in the Coachella Valley to pass a municipal ordinance mandating single stall public restrooms to be re-classified as “gender-neutral,” fly a rainbow flag at City Hall, and create a “Rainbow Crossing” named after the late Mayor Gregory S. Pettis, the first openly gay elected official in Riverside County.

“Palm Springs is a unique and wonderfully diverse city, and we pride ourselves on being one of the most inclusive and welcoming communities in the country,” Mayor Lisa Middleton said in a statement. “Thanks to the City Council’s strong commitment to equality and social opportunity, this city has become a nationwide leader and role model for other municipalities to follow when it comes to protecting the rights of our LGBTQ+ community and ensuring they feel welcomed, celebrated and safe. We thank the Human Rights Commission for recognizing our work with a perfect score.”

You can read the full report here on the Human Rights Campaign’s website.