Chapel Hill and Durham were honored for their protections of LGBTQ rights this week. The Human Rights Campaign gave both cities a perfect score in its assessment of LGBTQ+ equality regarding municipal policies, laws and services.

This is the 10th year the HRC Foundation has issued the Municipal Equality Index. 110 cities nationwide received a perfect score.

Categories for assessing each municipality included non-discrimination laws, municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.

“Local leaders, however, have continued to move the needle of progress forward,” said Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs, JoDee Winterhof. “They have spurred economic growth by signaling to residents, visitors and employers that their city is open to everyone.”

The full report from the HRC Foundation also contains an issue brief for policymakers that covers how municipalities can support transgender and non-binary individuals, as well as the types of challenges they face, ways that a city can support them, and guidance on forming an anti-transgender and non-binary violence prevention task force.

“In reflecting on the Municipal Equality Index’s 10-year history, it feels as though these past few years have been the most challenging, and yet the most critical, to advancing LGBTQ+ equality,” Fran Hutchins, Executive Director of Equality Federation Institute said.

Other Triangle towns saw relatively high scores. Carrboro earned a score of 84 from the Municipal Equality Index, while Raleigh earned a 69. Other smaller, local towns, like Hillsborough and Pittsboro, did not make the list.

North Carolina saw an average increase of 16 points since 2020 across all municipalities. The report attributes that rise to the sunsetting of House Bill 142 and several non-discrimination ordinances passed in towns and counties across the state.

For the full Chapel Hill scorecard click here.

For the full Durham scorecard click here.

 

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

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