PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - For the ninth consecutive year, the City of Long Beach has been named one of the best cities in the nation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) inclusion in municipal law and policy. Long Beach was one of 506 cities nationwide to be scored, and one of 94 to achieve a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index (MEI).

“Long Beach is proud to be recognized for our commitment to diversity and inclusion for the LGBTQ community,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This community is, and always will be, a place where everyone, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, can live, work, love and thrive.”

Long Beach has long recognized LGBTQ rights in its municipal laws and policies. The MEI examines laws, policies and services of municipalities and rates them on the basis of their inclusivity of LGBTQ people who live and work there. Examples highlighted in the 2020 report include:

• Protection of youth from conversion therapy
• Non-discrimination in City employment
• Workplace inclusivity
• The availability of City employee domestic partner benefits
• The availability of transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits
• LGBTQ liaisons in the City’s executive office and Police Department
• Leadership’s public position on LGBTQ equality

This year, Long Beach again received a score of 100, plus seven bonus points. Cities are rated on a scale of 0 to 100, with bonus points awarded for items which apply to some, but not all cities. Other cities in California with a base score of 100 include Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Long Beach received perfect scores in all MEI categories, including:

• Non-Discrimination Laws: 30 out of 30 points
• Municipality as Employer: 28 out of 28 points, plus 1 bonus point
• Municipal Services: 12 out of 12 points, plus 4 bonus points
• Law Enforcement: 22 out of 22 points
• Leadership on LGBTQ Equality: 8 out of 8 points, plus 2 bonus points

According to the 2020 MEI:

• 94 cities scored 100 points, up from 88 last year.
• Nationally, the average city score was 64 points.
• 38 state averages increased when compared with last year.

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans. The report is available at hrc.org/mei.

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