NEW YORK – Sixty US cities earned perfect scores on a nationwide ranking of protections for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) people, despite an array of anti-gay efforts by state governments, the Human Rights Campaign said yesterday.
The number of cities with perfect scores in 2016 was up from just 11 cities in 2012, the first year of the rating system, said the HRC, a civil rights organisation in Washington, DC.
The cities with high scores have inclusive laws and policies prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ people in employment, housing, public accommodations and access to services, it said.
“This year, dozens of cities across the nation showed they are willing to stand up for LGBTQ people in their communities even when state governments are not,” said HRC president Chad Griffin in a statement.
This year saw developments such as passage of a law in North Carolina that nullified local ordinances that would have expanded LGBTQ protections.
