More than a year after the Human Rights Campaign enacted a nationwide state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people, the first in its 40-year history, a record-breaking 130 cities across the country have perfect scores on the organization’s yearly "Municipal Equality Index" report.
For 13 years, HRC has scored cities across the country on laws, policies and services that are inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.
This year, seven Florida cities - including Tampa and St. Petersburg - got a perfect score on the Municipal Equality Index.
Read the full report here.
Scores at odds with state laws
The report contrasts with the slate of anti-LGBTQ+ laws that have been passed by the state legislature in recent years, including bans on gender-affirming care for transgender kids, restrictions on care for trans adults, and a bill that prevents “identity politics” from being included in college and university teacher-preparation programs.
Another further limits where homeless people can sleep in a country where 20-45% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. And queer adults are twice as likely as the general population to have experienced homelessness, according to a 2020 Williams Institute study.
As of spring of 2024, transgender Floridians can also no longer update their driver’s license with their correct gender, according to a memoshared by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which states their new rule is in compliance with the Real ID Act.
State senators were quick to start filing bills for the 2025 legislative session in November, and while none target the LGBTQ+ community, queer advocates worry the new year will bring proposals similar to those considered in the last two years.
Oakley said the scores in the MEI do not necessarily reflect the best places for LGBTQ+ people to live. That’s a difficult experience to quantify because the experience that a wealthy, gay, white, cisgender man might have somewhere is going to be vastly different from that of a lower-income, Black, trans woman.
“We really are disciplined about sticking to laws and policies for that reason, because we can't test climate, and even if I magically had a had a way to do that, the LGBTQ community is so diverse that folks are going to be having, even within the community, are going to be having completely different experiences.”
Cities are fighting back
Nationwide, 130 cities received a perfect score, up from only 11 in the MEI’s inaugural year and 129 from 2023, representing a combined population of approximately 49 million people.
Since the first MEI report in 2012, when only five cities offered these benefits, to 187 municipalities in 2022, and now more than 240 in 2024, the trend continues to be toward inclusivity, said Cathryn Oakley, the Senior Director for Legal Policy at the Human Rights Campaign.
Oakley said city leaders can't control what's happening in the state legislature, but they can control what's happening within their own borders, and during the last Trump administration, many cities doubled down on protecting the LGBTQ+ community.
She hopes the pattern holds true for the next four years.
Despite the gains, many state legislatures, including Florida's, have enacted laws that prevent transgender people from getting certain kinds of medically necessary health care.
Cities that have worked to ensure that transgender-inclusive health benefits are covered by their insurance plans are in many cases no longer able to provide that coverage in a meaningful way because of state legislators.
This is reflected in the 2024 MEI report as a loss of points for about 35% of the cities who have attempted to offer this care but have been preventedis from doing so.
"Some of these cities in Florida, I'll just tell you, it's heartbreaking for me, because I know how hard they've worked on their scores and to have their ability to take care of this community compromised by a state legislature that doesn't care about the community, it's really heartbreaking," Oakley said.
But the report should still give folks hope, Oakley said. Cities with perfect scores serve as a “to-do list” for other cities who aren't sure what they should be doing next - and what kinds of steps they can take.
St. Petersburg continues its win streak
St. Petersburg’s score has been perfect for the eleventh year in a row.
“We are pleased to be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign 11 years in a row, but we understand that perfect scores on the Municipal Equality Index do not happen by accident,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Kenneth T. Welch in a news release.
“Intentional inclusivity and inclusive progress are part of what we build upon every day, from policy to practice. Our city’s growth is stronger when everyone plays a part in it, and we remain dedicated to advancing equity for all.”
Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality. Welch said this year’s top score reinforces St. Petersburg’s commitment to inclusivity, safety, and equity for all residents and visitors.
Eric Vaughan, the City’s LGBTQ+ Liaison, said this: "Living and working in a city as welcoming and inclusive as St. Petersburg fills me with so much pride. Our 11th year of a perfect score reflects our policies and the spirit of St Pete—a city where everyone can feel at home and empowered to be themselves.”
Other than St. Petersburg and Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miami, Wilton Manors, and Orlando got perfect scores.
Other Florida cities ranked as followed: Cape Coral – 56; Coral Gables – 92; Daytona Beach – 39; Gainesville – 79; Hialeah - 57; Jacksonville - 68; Miami Shores - 92; Oakland Park - 97; Pembroke Pines - 70; Port Saint Lucie - 72; Tallahassee - 96.
