The Human Rights Campaign has released their 2021 Municipal Equality Index, rating cities across the United States on 25 different factors related to both sexual orientation and gender identity.
Eight different cities across Kentucky were included in this year's ratings, with their scores ranging from a low of 18 to a high of 100 (out of 100). The Index includes some factors counted as "flex points" – additional items that are not part of the core 100 points, but that if present in that city could boost its score by up to 35 points. Theoretically, then, a city could score 135, but the Index doesn't report scores over 100.
Here are the total scores (core and flex) for the eight Kentucky cities:
City | Score | ||||||||
Berea | 35 | ||||||||
Bowling Green | 20 | ||||||||
Covington | 96 | ||||||||
Frankfort | 66 | ||||||||
Lexington | 100 | ||||||||
Louisville | 100 | ||||||||
Morehead | 55 | ||||||||
Owensboro | 18 |
Category | Points Available |
Berea | Bowling Green |
Covington | Frankfort | Lexington | Louisville | Morehead | Owensboro |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Non-Discrimination Laws | |||||||||
Employment | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |||
Housing | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | |||
Public accommodations | 10 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 8 | |||
Flex: All-gender single occupancy facilities |
2 | 1 | |||||||
Flex: Protects youth from conversion therapy |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||
Municipality as Employer | |||||||||
Non-discrimination in city employment |
14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | ||
Transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits |
6 | 6 | |||||||
City contractor non- discrimination ordinance |
6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 6 | ||||
Inclusive workplace | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Flex: City employee domestic partner benefits |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
Municipal Services | |||||||||
Human rights commission | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Enforcement mechanism in human rights commission |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
LGBTQ+ liaison in city executive's office |
5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |||||
Flex: Youth bullying prevention policy for city services |
1 | ||||||||
Flex: City provides services to/ supports LGBTQ+ youth |
2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Flex: City provides services to/ supports LGBTQ+ experiencing homelessness |
2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Flex: City provides services to/ supports LGBTQ+ older adults |
2 | 2 | |||||||
Flex: City provides services to/ supports people living with HIV or AIDS |
2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Flex: City provides services to/ supports the transgender community |
2 | ||||||||
Law Enforcement | |||||||||
LGBTQ+ police liaison or task force |
10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |||||
Reported 2019 hate crimes statistics to the FBI |
12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Leadership on LGBTQ+ Equality | |||||||||
Leadership's public position on LGBTQ+ equality |
5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 1 | |
Leadership's pro-equality legislative or policy efforts |
3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||
Flex: Openly LGBTQ+ elected or appointed municipal leaders |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||
Flex: City test limits of restrictive state law |
3 | ||||||||
Total Standard Points | 100 | 35 | 20 | 89 | 66 | 92 | 96 | 55 | 18 |
Total Flex Points | 35 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
TOTAL SCORE | 35 | 20 | 96 | 66 | 100 | 100 | 55 | 18 |
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