City of Rochester
News Release
(Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022) — Mayor Malik D. Evans announced today the City has earned a “100” on the Human Rights Campaign 2022 Municipal Equality Index (MEI). The MEI examined how inclusive the City’s laws, policies, and services are for LGBTQ+ people who live and work here. The City was rated on its non-discrimination laws, as an employer, for its municipal services, law enforcement, and its leadership’s public position on equality. The 2022 MEI is the eleventh annual edition and rates 506 cities on 49 different criteria nationwide.
This year ten cities throughout New York State were evaluated and, out of those cities, Rochester, Yonkers, and NYC were the only cities in the state that received a perfect score.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion are of paramount importance to me and that includes working to ensure our LGBTQ+ community is safe, welcomed and respected,” said Mayor Evans. “We are proud of our consistently high score on the Municipal Equality Index and we will continue our commitment to building equality for all.”
The City has enacted local gender non-discrimination laws and bans conversion therapy, and has supported efforts to enact those protections statewide. The City proudly provides transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits for City employees. Additionally, the City administration has a LGBTQ+ Liaison.
The Human Rights Campaign is based in Washington, DC and, “is one of the largest advocacy organizations in the country,” according to its website. Its mission is to “end discrimination against LGBTQ people and realize a world that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.” The City’s MEI scorecard, and the full MEI report, can be found at: www.hrc.org/resources/municipal-equality-index.
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News Media: For more information, contact Communications Director Barbara Pierce at Barbara.Pierce@cityofrochester.gov.