The Town of Chapel Hill once again earned a top score in a national review of local LGBTQ+ policies and services.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a national advocacy group against discrimination of the LGBTQ+ population, recently published its 2024 Municipal Equality Index, which examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ+ people who live and work there.
The annual review assesses small, medium and large-sized cities across the U.S on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality. The municipalities are rated on a set scale of 0-100, and an additional 22 “flex points” can be awarded for items that apply just in certain areas, but not all cities.
Chapel Hill earned 83 standard points, adding 18 flex points to join the top ranked municipalities for the fourth year in a row.
“Now, more than ever, it is critical that we signal to our town and our state that Chapel Hill is a safe, welcoming, and equitable place for the LGBTQ+ community,” Council Member Karen Stegman said in a town release. “As an LGBTQ+ elected official, I am so proud of the work our Town does to prioritize inclusion in our policies and practices.”
The town is one of 130 local governments to earn the highest possible ranking. Similar to 2023, Chapel Hill earned maximum points in its commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusivity and equality and its reporting of hate crimes. It also scored highly in the ‘Municipal Services’ section.
“I’m incredibly proud to work for a Town – and in a community – where I can be myself,” added Alex Carrasquillo, the staff LGBTQIA+ Liaison to the Town Manager. “While we’re proud of our top score, we know this work is far from over. We have high expectations of ourselves as we look for ways to learn and grow.”
The Town of Carrboro earned maximum points in the ‘Municipal Services,’ ‘Law Enforcement,’ and ‘Leadership on LGBTQ+ Equality’ categories. With eight flex points, the town earned a final score of 91, a small decrease compared to last year’s 95.
More than a quarter of the 506 rated cities reached the 100-point mark this year, a record number for the report. The MEI also saw the highest all-around city average in its thirteen-year history. Oregon, Maine, and Minnesota saw the highest average increase in points for their possible cities.
The report acknowledged many states lost points as a result of anti-equality state legislation, but also local efforts to fight those state laws have doubled in the last five years. The MEI’s cities are comprised of:
- the 50 state capitals
- the 200 largest cities in the United States
- the five largest cities or municipalities in each state
- the cities home to the state’s two largest public universities (including undergraduate and graduate enrollment
- 75 cities and municipalities that have high proportions of same-sex couples nationwide
- 8 cities selected by HRC and Equality Federation state groups members and supporters
The full report on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2024 Municipal Equality Index can be read here, with its municipality search tool available here.
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