December 5, 2022
The Human Rights Campaign, in partnership with the Equality Federation Institute, has issued its 2022 Municipal Equality Index, a national benchmarking tool designed to inform municipal officials, policy makers and business leaders on how well cities across the nation embody LGBTQ+ inclusion in their laws, policies and services. The City of Lawrence has made history by earning a score of 100 points. 2022 marks the first year in the history of the Human Rights Campaign where a city in Kansas earned a perfect score.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is a national education and advocacy organization working to achieve equality for LGBTQ+ people. Since 2012, the HRC has issued the annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI), ranking cities on a scale from zero to 100 based on criteria covering non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement, and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.
Since 2013, HRC has acknowledged Lawrence as a top city in Kansas pertaining to LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion. Lawrence earned 100% of the standard points available in the following four categories: non-discrimination laws, municipality as an employer, municipal services, and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality. The City received bonus/flex points for the following:
- Protection of Youth from Conversion Therapy
- City Employee Domestic Partner benefits
- Youth Bullying Prevention Policy for City Services
- Services to LGBTQ+ Youth
- Services to LGBTQ+ Older Adults
- Services to People Living with HIV or AIDS
- Services to the Transgender Community
- Openly LGBTQ+ Elected or Appointed Leaders
In 2022, HRC ranked 506 cities with a national average of 69 points per municipality. For cities in Kansas, Lawrence is tied with Wichita for the highest ranking. The 2022 scores for cities in Kansas are below:
- Lawrence – 100
- Wichita – 100
- Overland Park – 92
- Topeka – 87
- Manhattan – 81
- Olathe – 71
- Emporia – 63
- Kansas City – 63
- Hutchinson – 61
The MEI rated 506 cities, which includes 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, 25 large cities that have high proportions of same-sex couples, and 98 cities selected by HRC and Equality Federation state group members and supporters.
The full report, including detailed scorecards for every city, as well as a searchable database, is available online at Municipal Equality Index 2022 – Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org).
Contact: Farris Muhammad, PhD, Director of Equity & Inclusion, 785-832-3414 | fmuhammad@lawrenceks.org