Human Rights Campaign recognizes Richmond as leading Virginia municipality in LGBTQ+ protections
Richmond scores 100 on 2020 Municipal Equality Index Scorecard
The City of Richmond has scored a 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index Scorecard, a national measurement of a locality’s policies, practices and procedures in place to fight discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals.
When Mayor Stoney took office, Richmond’s MEI score was 42. Since then, it has climbed to 100, making Richmond the municipality with the fastest growing and one of the net highest equality ratings in the entire Commonwealth.
“This city has made an immense amount of progress toward true equality in the past four years,” said Mayor Stoney. “Since 2017, we’ve been fighting to tackle the systemic injustices that reduce quality of life for LGBTQ+ individuals, and especially LGBTQ+ people of color.”
This year, city leadership increased Richmond’s MEI score by adopting city contractor non-discrimination practices.
State level advocacy for anti-discriminatory legislation has been an ongoing commitment for the Stoney administration. In 2018 and 2019, the city received MEI points for leading the way in passing citywide anti-discrimination policies and for advocating for the ban of conversion therapy by passing a city resolution, respectively. In 2020, the General Assembly followed suit by passing the Virginia Values Act and by banning the use of conversion therapy practices in the Commonwealth.
Though the historic raising of the Progress Pride flag in front of City Hall earlier this year did not technically increase Richmond’s MEI score, Mayor Stoney says the event was indicative of how far the city has come.
“Raising that flag, surrounded by so many advocates representing Richmond’s increasingly diverse, active LGBTQ+ community, embodied what the past four years have been about for me,” said Mayor Stoney. “Our shared priority has been making Richmond a better place where you can live up to your God-given potential regardless of who you pray to, where you come from, how you identify or who you love. This is an affirmation of our progress as a community.”
Quotes from key partners and community advocates:
"Thanks to the commitment and courage of thousands of LGBTQ people, allies, and community leaders, our state passed historic pro-equality legislation this year that makes all of Virginia more inclusive and welcoming,” said Vee Lamneck, Equality Virginia Executive Director. “We’re proud to see Richmond's MEI score increase yet again, and we look forward to working with the Mayor's office to leverage this momentum to ensure that all LGBTQ people, especially Black, Indigenous, and people of color, can thrive in our city.”
“I am pleased that Richmond’s MEI score has increased. This is from Mayor Stoney’s commitment to making Richmond a more inclusive city for those who identify as LGBTQIA+,” said Zakia McKensey, Executive Director for Nationz Foundation. “His support of our community is amazing, and I look forward to seeing how the future of Richmond will change in a positive way.
“Richmond should take great pride in its year-over-year increases of its MEI score, said James Millner, Interim Executive Director of Virginia Pride. “It sends a powerful message to LGBTQ people who live here, work here and visit here that we are a vibrant and vital thread of the fabric of this city. It should also serve as an incentive for city leaders and LGBTQ community advocates to continue to work together to make Richmond safer, more welcoming and more inclusive for LGBTQ people. We’ve come a very long way in the last four years, but there’s still much to do.”
Click here to read the full report.
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