Louisville again earns 100 on Human Rights scorecard

Louisville, Ky., (December 5, 2019) – For the fifth year in a row, Louisville has earned a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) scorecard.

The ranking — called the Municipal Equality Index (MEI) — reflects the city’s support of the LGBTQ community, and the commitment of all Louisville Metro Government agencies to ensure the city is welcoming and inclusive.

“Communities that embrace diversity are strong communities,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Receiving a perfect score of 100 for the fifth year in a row reflects our city’s longstanding commitment to equality, fairness and compassion. I applaud the efforts of Louisville Tourism, Fairness Campaign, Civitas and my team at Metro Government for their work to ensure all residents have the opportunity to reach their full human potential.”

The Human Rights Campaign began in 1980 and is now the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans. It represents more than 3 million members and supporters.

On its website, HRC announced “a record-setting 88 cities across the U.S. earned the highest possible score. Cities and municipalities are meeting and exceeding HRC’s inclusion standards with innovative measures to protect LGBTQ people.”

Mayor Fischer said Louisville’s HRC ranking is a boost to the city’s tourism and economic development efforts, given that inclusive cities are increasingly winning in the competition for residents, businesses and employees.

“We are thrilled Louisville continues to be a leader in embracing inclusion, diversity and our LGBTQ community,” says Karen Williams, President & CEO of Louisville Tourism. “We are proud of this ranking and how it further supports our message that we are a welcoming city.”

Erica Fields, Board Chair of CIVITAS, the region’s chamber of commerce for LGBTQ and ally businesses said, “CIVITAS is proud to be a part of Louisville and proud to be working closely with the Mayor’s Office and City Council to create opportunities for NGLCC certified businesses. We are excited to be involved in the process and look forward to receiving even more national recognition as we strengthen our region’s diverse-owned businesses.”

HRC president Alphonso David said this year’s MEI “shows that across the country, city leaders are working tirelessly to ensure that their constituents can secure housing, make a living and participate in community life without being discriminated against because of who they are. And the people overwhelmingly agree with these leaders: support for non-discrimination protections to protect LGBTQ people topped 70 percent, which includes a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. These policies are not only the right thing to do, but they are also critical in driving economic success by attracting residents, visitors and businesses that place a high value on inclusivity.”

Fairness Campaign Director Chris Hartman congratulated the city and championed its commitment to equality, “I'm incredibly proud of the continued work of Mayor Fischer and Metro Louisville Government to achieve a perfect HRC rating on LGBTQ inclusion. Twenty years after Louisville led the state in passing LGBTQ discrimination protections, our city continues to set the example for diversity and inclusion in Kentucky.”

Fischer also applauded the work of the Metro Louisville Human Relations Commission, whose mission is to promote unity, understanding and equal opportunity among all people of Louisville Metro, and to eliminate all forms of bigotry, bias, and hatred from the community.

Louisville is the only city in Kentucky to receive a perfect 100. Covington received a score of 94 and Lexington received a score of 93.

Read Louisville’s MEI scorecard here and read the full MEI report at https://www.hrc.org/mei

See Louisville’s LGBTQ accolades at https://www.gotolouisville.com/things-to-do/lgbtq/

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