PALM SPRINGS — The city has been awarded a perfect score of 100 points in the 2018 Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index Scorecard.
Rancho Mirage also received a perfect score of 100.
Cathedral City and Palm Desert each received a score of 94.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization fighting every day for a world where LGBTQ people are treated equally everywhere.
Palm Springs again was awarded additional points for protecting youth from conversion therapy, for providing single-occupancy all-gender facilities, city employee domestic partner benefits, a youth bullying prevention policy, services to LGBTQ youth and the LGBTQ transgender
community along with services for LGBTQ homeless citizens, elders and citizens with HIV/AIDS, according to the report.
In addition, Palm Springs received extra points from the Human Rights Campaign for having openly LGBTQ elected city leaders and for testing limits of restrictive state law.
The Palm Springs City Council was recognized June 11, 2018 by the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus in Sacramento for being the nation’s first elected all LGBTQ Council.
The five-member Palm Springs City Council is comprised of Mayor Robert Moon, Mayor pro tem J.R. Roberts and Councilmembers Geoff Kors, Lisa Middleton and Christy Gilbert Holstege.
The Human Rights Campaign index is a nationwide evaluation of more than 350 cities on how inclusive they are in regards to city laws and policies for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The score is based on criteria in five categories, including non-discrimination laws, municipal employment practices, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ equality.
“The city of Palm Springs is a unique and wonderfully diverse community and we pride ourselves on welcoming everyone,” City Manager David H. Ready said in a prepared statement. “Thanks to the City Council’s strong commitment to equality, Palm Springs has become a nationwide leader and role model for other municipalities to follow when it comes to protecting the rights of our LGBTQ community.”
The Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index (MEI) examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of 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 2018 Human Rights Campaign MEI is the seventh annual edition and rates a total of 506 cities on 49 different criteria from every state in the nation.
To view the report, click here.
