Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, in partnership with The Equality Federation, released its 11th annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI) on Wednesday. The index is the only assessment of LGBTQ+ equality regarding municipal policies, laws and services in 506 cities across the nation — including seven in West Virginia.
Morgantown — along with Huntington — received a perfect 100/100 score.
The average score for cities in West Virginia is 67 out of 100 points, which falls below the national average of 68. This year, a record-breaking 120 cities earned the highest score of 100, which is up from 11 in 2012, the MEI’s inaugural year, illustrating the advancements municipalities have made over the 11 years.
West Virginia rankings:
- Charles Town: 45/100
- Charleston: 92/100 (All-Star designation)
- Huntington: 100/100 (All-Star designation)
- Lewisburg: 45/100
- Morgantown: 100/100 (All-Star designation)
- Parkersburg: 13/100
- Wheeling: 76/100
“LGBTQ+ people everywhere deserve to live in welcoming places that are focused on building equality for all. Since its launch 11 years ago, the main priority of the Municipal Equality Index remains supporting and celebrating the work cities do to serve LGBTQ+ people in the places they call home,” said JoDee Winterhof, Human Rights Campaign senior vice president of policy and political affairs. “This year, we’ve seen a disturbing number of extremist legislators attacking transgender and non-binary youth for no reason other than to erase them and their families. However, we’re seeing local leaders continue to push forward in making equality and inclusion the cornerstone of their cities. By doing so, they have helped to create safe, welcoming spaces for all families while spurring economic growth by signaling to residents, visitors and employers that their city is open to everyone.”
This year, HRC tracked more than 345 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation introduced in state houses across the nation, more than 145 of which specifically target transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.
“At a time when anti-LGBTQ+ opponents are using the rights of transgender youth as a political wedge issue, it can be disheartening to be a queer or trans person in this country,” said Fran Hutchins, executive director of Equality Federation Institute. “But despite the increasing attacks we are seeing on transgender youth in state legislatures, the important work to advance protections for LGBTQ+ people continues at the local level. Often the greatest opportunities for victories to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people are in the states and cities — where the work is hard but the impact is great. I am encouraged by the work of state and local advocates who keep having the tough conversations, changing hearts and minds, and seeing progress in their communities as a result – we are all better for it.”
MEI All-Stars earned over 85 points despite hailing from a state without statewide non-discrimination statutes that explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Other significant findings from the 2022 MEI include:
- The national city score average jumped to an all-time high of 68 points, up from 67 points last year, marking the fifth consecutive year of national average increases.
- 187 cities have transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits for municipal employees — up from 181 in 2021.
- 41 municipalities have anti-conversion therapy ordinances in states with no state-level protections, up from 43 last year.
- Cities around the country saw progress, with almost every region of the country seeing a higher average score than last year:
The MEI rated 506 cities including the 50 state capitals, the 200 largest cities in the U.S., the five largest cities or municipalities in each state, the cities home to the state’s two largest public universities, the
75 municipalities that have high proportions of same-sex couples and 98 cities selected by HRC and Equality Federation state group members and supporters. It assesses each city on 49 criteria covering citywide non-discrimination protections, policies for municipal employees, city services, law enforcement and the city’s leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.
See the full report at reports.hrc.org/municipal-equality-index-2022.
