When it comes to LGBTQ treatment, Florida’s cities show a full spectrum of equality.
The Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization, published its first Municipal Equality Index on Tuesday. The study evaluates city laws and policies related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, said Jeremy Pittman, deputy field director at the Human Rights Campaign.
Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee and Jacksonville were among the 11 Florida cities surveyed. Of those, Orlando did the best, and Jacksonville did the worst.
Orlando scored 77 out of 100 points. Miami came in second with 72 points. Miami Shores and Jacksonville came in last, with 34 and 15 points, respectively.
The study focused on whether a city has a law that prohibits discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It also looked at laws that apply to private-sector employers that prohibit discrimination, he said.
The study surveyed 137 cities around the country. The selected cities included the 50 state capitals, the 50 largest cities by population and 75 additional cities based on size.
Twenty-five large, 25 mid-size and 25 small cities with the highest proportion of same-sex couples were picked by the campaign based on the 2010 census data, Pittman said.
Eleven cities in the U.S., including Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, New York City and Philadelphia, received the full 100 points.
Three cities received zero points: Montgomery, Ala., Frankfort, Ky., and Jefferson City, Mo.
“I think the results show us that there’s been tremendous work done at the municipal level all across the country to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens and residents,” Pittman said. “But there’s still work to be done.”
The city of Gainesville was not included in this year’s Municipal Equality Index because the survey didn’t cover every city in the U.S.
“There’s been a lot of work done in Gainesville on LGBT equality, and we’d love to be able to highlight the good work that’s been done there,” he said.
Terry Fleming, co-president of the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida, said the scores for the cities in Florida were predictable. If Gainesville were on the list, he said, “I’m sure it would rate very high.”
