City Scores Perfect Marks on Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index
For a third consecutive year, Rockville has scored perfect marks on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index for the city’s commitment to the health, welfare, safety and equality of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.
Rockville scored 100/100 on the scorecard, along with, Baltimore, Columbia and Frederick, out of the 10 Maryland towns and cities rated on the 2019 scorecard.
The eighth annual MEI scorecard, released Tuesday, Nov. 19, analyzes and rates 506 municipalities across the country, measuring each for the inclusivity of laws, policies and services for their LGBTQ communities. Overall, 88 cities in the U.S. earned the highest possible score.
Cities are rated across 49 different criteria, covering citywide nondiscrimination protections, policies for municipal employees, city services, law enforcement and the city’s leadership on LGBTQ equality.
“This year’s Municipal Equality Index shows that across the country, city leaders are working tirelessly to ensure that their constituents can secure housing, make a living and participate in community life without being discriminated against because of who they are,” HRC president Alphonso David said in a statement accompanying the MEI scorecard’s release.
The 2019 MEI report can be found at www.hrc.org/mei.
2019 MEI Maryland Rankings
Rockville 100
Baltimore 100
Columbia 100
Frederick 100
Gaithersburg 93
College Park 86
Towson 86
Annapolis 76
Bowie 60
Hagerstown 54