Every year, the Human Rights Campaign
releases a Municipal Equality Index which dives into municipal laws, policies, and services to score the city’s inclusivity of LGBTQ+ people. Here’s how Tampa and St. Petersburg did last year:
- Tampa scored 100 out of 100
- St. Petersburg scored 100 out of 100
In fact, for the past nine years St. Pete has earned a perfect score .
Let’s break down how we got here… and how that score may change.
Non-discrimination laws
This category awards up to 30 points based on whether LGBTQ+ discrimination is prohibited by law in areas of employment, housing, and public accommodation. Both cities scored 30 out of 30.
Municipality as employer
Cities as employers can achieve up to 28 points by meeting certain guidelines for ensuring an inclusive workplace and benefits.
- Tampa’s score: 26
- St. Pete’s score: 28
Services and programs
This section has 12 available points for the city’s efforts to include LGBTQ+ communities in services and programs. Both cities scored 12 out of 12.
Law enforcement
This section has 22 available points and looks at the relationship between law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community. Both cities scored 22 out of 22.
Leadership on LGBTQ+ equality
This section has eight available points and looks at city leadership’s commitment to advocacy and inclusion. Both cities scored eight out of eight.
Looking ahead
Both cities earned their perfect scores with flex points, meaning there are still areas where our score could be higher. Here are some recommendations from the HRC for how we could increase our 2022 score:
Tampa as an employer could have specific programming to attract LGBTQ+ applicants and promote diversity in the city’s workplace. The city of Tampa could also offer services to those in the LGBTQ+ community experiencing homelessness or living with HIV and AIDS. St. Pete as an employer could offer its employees domestic partner benefits.
Either the state, county, or the municipalities of both Tampa and St. Pete could enact laws regarding single-occupancy all-gender facilities.